JERUSALEM - In a bid to defuse the wave of Palestinian violence that has struck Israel and the West Bank during the past few weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prohibited all of the country’s parliamentarians from visiting the Temple Mount, a contentious site holy to both Jews and Arabs.

JERUSALEM - Unrest flared in early October throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem, which has experienced tensions during September, largely over the status of the contested holy site of the Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif.

JERUSALEM - An Arab-Israeli parliament member drew harsh criticism from Jewish Israelis July 27 when he claimed that Jews have no religious ties to the Temple Mount, considered the holiest site in Judaism.

VATICAN CITY - Gathering at "a time of severe tension and conflict," particularly in the Middle East, 24 Catholic and Muslim leaders and scholars urged dialogue to promote greater respect and understanding and condemned all acts of violence committed in the name of religion.

JERUSALEM - It’s a site holy to both Jews and Muslims — considered the most religiously sensitive square kilometre on the planet.