Twelve people were arrested Sunday as police deployed tear gas at Jerusalem’s holiest site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram Al-Sharif.

Officers were deployed to the compound after receiving reports of disturbances, an Israeli police spokesman said. They dispersed stone-throwing rioters with stun grenades after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at them.

Israel Radio reported that, earlier in the weekend, police had said they would beef up security in the area after Muslim leaders urged followers to defend it against “Jewish conquest.”

In recent weeks, the site has been tense.

On October 4, about 150 Palestinians clashed with police after authorities closed the area to Muslim worshippers and visitors.

Police said they sought to minimize the possibility of violence after calls in Palestinian media to “come and protect the Mount.”

Dozens of people were killed in rioting related to the Al Aqsa mosque, which is located on the site, in 1996.

(article source: CNN, photo source: About.com)