JERUSALEM, Israel -- Sunday's observance of Tisha B'Av, an annual day to mourn the destruction of the First and Second Jewish Temples and other tragedies that befell the Jewish people, was marred by riots on the Temple Mount.
Israeli security forces used riot control methods to restore calm on the Temple Mount after scores of masked Arab youth threw rocks, Molotov cocktails, and other incendiaries at police officers.
According to a police statement, "Masked rioters fled into the mosque and started to throw stones and blocks at police from inside al-Aksa Mosque."
Around 800 Jews visited the Temple Mount for Tisha B'Av and many more came to the Western Wall (Kotel) to pray.
On Tisha B'Av, Jews read the Book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah, which paints a vivid picture of the destruction of Jerusalem. On this day, Jews fast and pray for the restoration of the temple.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked the holiday by welcoming Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists to his Jerusalem residence Sunday, where he viewed a 2,000-year-old scroll from the Book of Lamentations.
Unearthed in the caves at Qumran, the scrolls date from 30 B.C. to 70 A.D.
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