The European Union has warned against any “provocation,” after three consecutive days of clashes between Israeli police and stone-throwing Muslims on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

“The reported violence and escalation (at the site) constitute a provocation and incitement”, European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters in Brussels.

“It is crucial that all parties demonstrate calm and restraint and full respect for the status quo of the holy sites,” Kocijancic said.

The clashes began Sunday morning, with security forces seizing pipe bombs at the site in an operation carried out hours before Jews prepared to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. The Shin Bet security service alerted police to the cache, apparently an effort by Palestinians to stock up on bombs, flares and rocks ahead of an organized riot.

The police said its forces had entered the site on Wednesday morning, after protesters began throwing stones and firecrackers at the Mughrabi Gate, the access point for non-Muslim visitors to the site. Police said that protesters had wedged open a door to the mosque, which officers had later closed, allowing visits to the Mount to continue as scheduled.