What provocation is there when Jews come to visit the place with a message of peace?

Ariel Sharon

The compound - known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Haram al-Sharif to Muslims - lies on territory captured by Israeli in the 1967 war and is at the centre of the fierce dispute over the sovereignty of Jerusalem.

Police said 25 of their men were hurt by missiles thrown by Palestinians, but only one was taken to hospital. Israel Radio reported at least three Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets.

Four others, including two senior Palestinian officials, were beaten with clubs by the security forces.

In a separate incident which will increase tension, an Israeli soldier has died from injuries suffered in a bomb attack on Wednesday aimed at Jewish settlers and their military escort in the Gaza Strip.

'Peaceful' visit

Mr Sharon toured the mosque compound with his Likud party parliamentary faction early on Thursday under a heavy guard.

Israeli troops sealed off the historic compound

BBC correspondent Hilary Andersson in Jerusalem said the visit was clearly intended to underline the Jewish claim to the city and its holy sites.

In protest, hundreds of Palestinians shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) and "Murderer, get out" as they tried to break through a police cordon.

As he left the compound, Mr Sharon denied the visit was provocation, insisting he had come with a "message of peace".

"I came here to the holiest place of the Jewish people in order to see what happens here and really to help the feeling that we are now ready to move forward," he said.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat described his visit as a "dangerous step".

Hotly disputed

Israeli-Palestinian negotations are stalled over the Jerusalem issue.

Sharon's visit came during a tense time in the city

Mr Sharon's party opposes an expressed willingness by Prime Minister Ehud Barak to cede parts of east Jerusalem to the Palestinians as part of a possible peace agreement.

In a newspaper interview published on Thursday, Mr Barak outlined his vision of two Jerusalems.

Al-Quds, the Arabic name for the city, would belong to the Palestinians, he said, while Jerusalem would be Israel's internationally-recognised capital.

The proposal, which still does not solve the problem of the holy sites, would involve redefining the city's borders.

Not only is Al-Aqsa the Muslim world's third holiest shrine, but the compound is also most holiest site for Jews, who believe it stands on the site of Solomon's temple.

Correspondents describe the compound - which is administered by Islamic authorities - as the fault line of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It has been the scene of deadly clashes on several occasions since Israel captured the site in 1967.