It was 29 September 2000, at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon, when Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque concluded.  One day after Ariel Sharon's provocative visit to the Temple Mount (Haram A-Sharif) sparked riots among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, more than 30,000 gathered on the Mount in reverent defense of the Haram.  As the Imam finished his sermon, a handful of Palestinians began hurling stones over the wall, down onto the Jewish worshippers below.