Police on Monday charged a Muslim leader with attacking police officers during a demonstration last week against construction work near Jerusalem's Temple Mount a disputed Jerusalem holy site. Raed Salah, a leader in the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been the leading critic against the repair work on an earthen ramp leading to Mount. The centuries-old ramp was damaged in a 2004 snowstorm. Salah led the violent protests last week, which reached their apex on Friday when police stormed the Mount after hundreds of angry Islamic worshippers threw stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails. Earlier in the week, Salah scuffled near the Mount with police, who briefly detained him for questioning. They issued a 10-day restraining order barring Salah from coming within 150 meters of the Old City. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Salah was being charged with attacking police officers. Police would request the courts extend the restraining order a further 60 days.
Salah, 48, the leader of the radical northern branch of the Islamic Movement, has been a controversial figure in Israel for years. Israel jailed him for more than two years, saying his organization funneled money to Hamas.