Palestinians hurl stones at security forces in Jerusalem

Alert level in capital raised to highest level, thousands of police deployed in city in wake of West Bank terrorist attacks

By ToI Staff and Judah Ari Gross 2 July 2016, 2:36 am

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Illustrative photo of border policemen standing guard outside at Damascus Gate, a main entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, late on May 2, 2016 (AFP Photo/Ahmad Gharabli)

A number of Palestinian men hurled stones at Israeli security forces stationed at the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem late Friday. Police responded by using riot dispersal measures. No injuries or damage were reported.

Police in Jerusalem were at the highest level of alert following a deadly shooting attack Friday in the South Hebron Hills, and a day after teenager Hallel Yaffa Ariel was stabbed to death at her home in the Kiryat Arba settlement on Thursday morning.

Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevi instructed more than 3,000 cops and Border Police officers to deploy throughout the capital ahead of the nighttime prayers set to take place at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the final Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Last weekend’s prayers ended without incident, but Halevi on Friday ordered more officers deployed in the wake of the terror attacks, for fear that the attacks may inspire more violence in Jerusalem.

East Jerusalem and Hebron have been the most volatile locations in the recent wave of Palestinian terrorism.

The mother and a younger sister of Hallel Yaffa Ariel mourning during her funeral ceremony in the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, in the West Bank, on June 30, 2016. Earlier in the day, a 17-year-old Palestinian terrorist broke into their home and stabbed and killed 13-year-old Hallel in her bedroom. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) — The mother and a younger sister of Hallel Yaffa Ariel mourning during her funeral ceremony in the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, in the West Bank, on June 30, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

“We are on the highest alert and fully prepared ahead of the events of Laylat al-Qadr that will take place throughout the night and the early morning,” Halevi said, referring to the night on which Muslims believe the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

“We have deployed widely all over Jerusalem to maintain the public peace and the safety of all residents. This deployment will continue over the weekend and will be weighed consistently according to periodical assessments we will make,” he said.