Seventeen police officers and some 200 Palestinians were injured on Friday as clashes swept through the Temple Mount following Friday prayers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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Tension has mounted in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with nightly clashes in east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah – a neighbourhood where numerous Palestinian families face eviction in a long-running legal case.
Israeli police deployed in large numbers some 70,000 worshippers attended the final midday Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Thousands protested afterwards, waving Hamas flags and chanting pro-Hamas slogans.
It was unclear what sparked the violence, but the protest soon escalated into riots and clashes as thousands of Palestinians faced off with several hundred security forces.
Videos circulating online showed worshippers throwing chairs, shoes, rocks and firecrackers at police, who used crowd control measures to restore order.
"We will respond with a heavy hand to any violent disturbance, rioting or harm to our officers, and will work to find those responsible and bring them to justice," the Israel Police said in a statement.
Palestinian medics said at least 205 Palestinians were injure. The Palestine Red Crescent ambulance service said 108 of the Palestinians injured were taken to hospital, with many hit with rubber-coated bullets.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he "held [Israel] responsible for the dangerous developments and sinful attacks taking place in the holy city" and called on the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session on the issue.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned Israel Friday night of the "consequences of the clashes on the Temple Mount," and said he was talking to various regional elements in order to stop "the attack on worshipers."
A Hamas spokesman in Jerusalem warned that "Israel will pay a price for its aggression, and for violating the right of Palestinians to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nahala threatened a response against Israel, warning, "It is impossible to remain silent in the face of what is happening in Jerusalem. The enemy must expect our response at all times."
Calls for calm and restraint poured in on Friday from the United States and the United Nations, with others including the European Union and Jordan voicing alarm at the possible evictions.
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "The United States is extremely concerned about ongoing confrontations in Jerusalem, including on the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount and in Sheikh Jarrah, which have reportedly resulted in scores of injured people.
"There is no excuse for violence, but such bloodshed is especially disturbing now, coming as it does on the last days of Ramadan. This includes Friday's attack on Israeli soldiers and reciprocal 'price tag' attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, which we condemn in no uncertain terms.
"We call on Israeli and Palestinian officials to act decisively to deescalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence. It is absolutely critical that all sides exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount – in word and in practice. Leaders across the spectrum must denounce all violent acts. Security services must ensure the safety of all of Jerusalem's residents and hold all perpetrators to account."
The State Department, he said, "is in touch with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work to deescalate the situation. The United States urges both sides to exercise decisive leadership and work cooperatively together to lower tensions, end the violence, and reinvigorate long-standing coordination mechanisms and relationships that have served their shared interests over the decades."
Jordan and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council have expressed alarm at the potential evictions.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Jordan had given the Palestinian Authority documents that he said showed the Sheikh Jarrah Palestinians were the "legitimate owners" of their homes.
Israel's "provocative steps in occupied Jerusalem and violation of Palestinian rights, including the rights of the people of Sheikh Jarrah in their homes, is playing with fire," Safadi said on Twitter.
Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said, "We call on Israel to immediately halt all forced evictions, including those in Sheikh Jarrah, and to cease any activity that would further contribute to a coercive environment and lead to a risk of forcible transfer."
Israel's Foreign Ministry said that the Palestinians were "presenting a real-estate dispute between private parties as a nationalist cause, in order to incite violence in Jerusalem."
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