JERUSALEM: Israeli police have mobilized reinforcements from across the country to secure volatile Jerusalem after days of violent Palestinian protests.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said thousands of police were securing the city on Tuesday, including officers mobilized from other areas.

The unrest apparently has been fueled by rumors that Israeli extremists planned to march on a Jerusalem shrine holy to both Jews and Muslims. There have been sporadic clashes in recent days near the site.

Israel and the Palestinians both lay claim to the holy city, which is home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites.

Israel insists it will retain control of the eastern sector it captured and annexed in 1967. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem for their future capital.