Israeli police entered the compound in the Old City to secure the way for Jewish visitors to the holy site, fueling clashes that left 17 Palestinians wounded.
Clashes broke out between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque early Friday, with claims Israeli police entered in force shortly after early morning prayers.
Around 100 Palestinians were injured as protesters and Israeli police clashed in the latest of several nights of violence over possible evictions of Palestinians from land claimed by Jewish settlers.
The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem long served as a key diplomatic line to the Palestinian Authority. Now the U.S. is downgrading the mission and merging it with the Embassy to Israel.
The embassy draws tourists who support what it stands for: an about-face in U.S. policy, recognizing Israel's claims to the city. They say the embassy's existence reflects biblical prophecy.