Muslims paint swastikas on Temple Mount

Swastikas have been found spray-painted on the Temple Mount.

Police opened an investigation Sunday after graffiti was found in the Temple Mount compound depicting a swastika as the equivalent of a Star of David.

The incident came on the heels of a call by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for Palestinians to defend the Temple Mount, the location of the al-Aqsa mosque and the site of heated clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces over the past several weeks.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said authorities had opened a probe into the incident after finding at least three instances of the graffiti daubed on the floor inside the holy site.

Pictures posted online by the Israeli news portal 0404 showed two different places where the symbols had been painted in blue, one on stairs leading to the Temple Mount and another in an unidentified location.

On Friday, Abbas called for Jews to be barred from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism and home to a mosque and shrine revered by Muslims as well, and said Palestinians should defend the site.

“It is our sacred place, al-Aqsa [mosque] is ours, this Noble Sanctuary is ours. They have no right to go there and desecrate it,” Abbas said.

"That's our job!"

The 0404 site says that at least five swastikas were found.