Israeli police said on Friday that they had arrested at least 40 people after clashes in Jerusalem between Palestinians and right-wing extremists.  

The violence happened late in the city's contested east on Thursday and early Friday morning. Palestinian health officials said at least 100 people had been injured.

Tensions have spiked in recent days in Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Police in riot gear had to intervene to stop the clashes; they deployed water cannons, stun grenades and armored vehicles to break up the crowds.

A group of Palestinians had gathered around Jerusalem’s historic Damascus Gate, with nationalist Israeli protesters just a few hundred meters away.

Many of them chanted "Death to Arabs" and some held banners that read: "Death to terrorists."

What has sparked the latest violence?

Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to prevent them from holding their traditional Ramadan gatherings at the Damascus Gate, clashing regularly with police since the start of the annual festival earlier this month.

Jews have also been angered by a spate of TikTok videos showing Palestinians assaulting members of the ultra-Orthodox community.

There have also been a number of attacks by Jews on Arabs in Jerusalem this week, including an incident where Jewish youths chanting anti-Arab slogans assaulted an Arab driver who stopped to remonstrate with them.

The incidents have threatened to break a sustained period of relative quiet in the holy city.

Disputed holy city of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war from Jordan and annexed it in a move not recognized by most of the international community.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state.

Its fate has been one of the most divisive issues in the peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

The US Embassy said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" about the violence in recent days.

"We hope all responsible voices will promote an end to incitement, a return to calm, and respect for the safety and dignity of everyone in Jerusalem," it said.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians attended weekly prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday.

The site is the third holiest in Islam and the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

jf/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)