Arab League holds meeting over Jerusalem tension

Watch Video

Play Video

Arab League members have held an urgent meeting at their Cairo headquarters to discuss unrest at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

At the meeting, the Syrian ambassador to Egypt called on the Arab members of the UN to investigate tensions surrounding access to the Holy site which both Jews and Muslims share.

Yousef Ahmed, Syrian ambassador to Egypt, said, "We are requesting from the Arab member states in the United Nations General Assembly to launch a special session to discuss Jerusalem and the Israeli aggressions against the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Meantime, conflict intensified in Jerusalem, as Israeli border guards fired tear gas at rock-throwing Palestinians at a checkpoint.

Tensions picked up two weeks ago when police and protesters clashed near the mosque on the eve of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, due to dispute over access to the holy site.

A beefed-up Israeli police presence, and a relatively small turnout of Palestinian protesters, has kept violence under control in ensuing clashes.