JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Arab extremists of spreading lies to foment violence in the disputed city of Jerusalem.

Israel put thousands of police on high alert in Jerusalem last week after several days of minor unrest at the most sacred holy shrine in the city. The unrest was fueled in part by rumors from local Muslim leaders that Jewish extremists were digging tunnels beneath the disputed shrine.

Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Monday that such claims are an "unfounded lie."