Clashes at the Al-Aqsa compound left 17 Palestinians dead and prompted two UN Security Council resolutions criticizing Israeli security forces.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 8, 1990
- Palestinians killed
- 17 persons
- Palestinians wounded
- More than 150 persons
- Israeli civilians/police wounded
- More than 20 persons
- UN resolutions issued
- UNSC 672 and UNSC 673
- Intifada year
- Third year of the First Intifada
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Temple Mount Faithful announced a plan to lay a cornerstone for a new Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount. This declaration inflamed tensions in Jerusalem, which was already volatile during the ongoing First Intifada, prompting large crowds of Palestinians to gather at the Al-Aqsa compound in anticipation of a confrontation.
On the morning of October 8, 1990, mass riots erupted at the Al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount. Israeli security forces engaged the rioting crowd, killing 17 Palestinians and wounding more than 150. Palestinians wounded more than 20 Israeli civilians and police officers in the clashes.
The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 672 condemning acts of violence by Israeli security forces, which Israel rejected. Resolution 673 followed, urging Israel to reconsider its refusal to allow UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar to conduct an independent investigation into the killings.
Political Outcome
17 Palestinians killed and over 150 wounded; Israel rejected UN condemnation and denied access to UN investigators