Justin Timberlake posts Instagram snap of himself at Jerusalem's Western Wall

Justin Timberlake ignited online furore from many Palestinian fans when he posted a picture at Jerusalem's Western Wall.

The 33-year-old shared a snap of himself praying at the Kotel, or Wailing Wall, on Tuesday with a caption that managed to stir up a minor controversy.

Justin, who made a stop on his 20/20 Experience tour in Tel Aviv, hashtagged his portrait '#Israel', which angered many of his Instagram and Twitter followers.

Sparking furore: Justin Timberlake posted a snap on Tuesday to Instagram from Jerusalem's Western Wall

With his back facing the camera, Justin faces the wall with his hands raised up in a posture of reverence.

Furore: The star stopped through Tel Aviv for a performance the day after his rousing concert in Istanbul

He captioned the snap: 'The Holy Land... What an experience. I will never forget this day.'

And while the picture garnered (by last count) over 254,000 likes, his hashtag '#Israel' upset many of his fans.

'Correction,' one outraged follower commented. 'You are in Palestine not israel #disapointed.'

While another angered follower responded: 'There was never an Israel, there was always Palestine.'

A potential fan, writing under the handle abourezk, also chastised the star: 'Clearly you are not in the class of performers like Sting, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the great Carlos Santana who know what apartheid is and who are not afraid to stand against it in support of the Palestinian people.'

Adding: 'It's a real shame because at one point I thought you could be an entertainer with a conscience! What a pity!'

But a supporter of Justin, with the Instagram handle orjacobi, took issue with the comments and responded: '@abourezk so you're blind.. I want you to come for one day to Israel and notice who are the good and who are the bad in this situation .. It's so easy to talk when you actually don't really know what's going on.'

But not everyone was caught up in the conflict as one admirer, with the user name sexytweet77, wrote: 'JUSTIN AMAZING POST!!!'

Aside from Instagram followers commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bustle writer Aly Semigran had another criticism for the pop star and his self-congratulatory - and perhaps even self-aggrandising - use of a religious holy site.

No comment: The 33-year-old has remained silent on the issue

The social commentator mused that as Justin visited the historical, religious, and culturally important site, 'he chose to gather likes and comments rather than keep the moment private.'

She went on to question his motivations, writing: 'While there’s no doubt in my mind that Timberlake’s visit to the holiest site for those of Jewish faith was an unforgettable experience, did he really need to share his moment of reflection with millions upon millions of followers?'

The chart topping artist's visit to the Middle East coincided with an especially tense time as the day after his controversial Instagram posting was Jerusalem Day, a celebration of Israel's unification of the city.

The site is considered a holy place by Muslims, Jews, and Christians, with Pope Francis visiting the Western Wall the day before Justin's visit.k