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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli police on Friday afternoon detained six Palestinians from Jerusalem as they exited al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, following protests in the compound against an Israeli politician's visit.

The Director of the Prisoners' Society in Hebron Nasser Qaws said that Israeli forces detained Ahmad Badreya, Salah Sharifah, Ahmad al-Razim, and three others who had yet to be identified.

During the clashes, witnesses said that youths destroyed the camera of the Israeli police station located in the al-Aqsa compound, and threw stones at Israeli forces near the Moroccan gate in protest against visit of Israeli MK Moshe Feiglin to the holy compound.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that the youths were "involved in disturbances" and "threw stones at police officers" following Friday prayers.

Because of the sensitive nature of the Al-Aqsa compound, Israel maintains a compromise with the Islamic trust that controls it to not allow non-Muslim prayers in the area. Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to the site, leading to tension with Palestinian worshipers.

The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.

It is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place as it sits above the site where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood.

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
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