After days of violence, overnight Muslim prayers on Temple Mount pass quietly

The overnight prayers at mosques on the flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem passed quietly, Israel Police said Saturday, after two days of Palestinian terrorist attacks claimed the lives of two Israelis and wounded at least five others.

The worshipers were marking Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Destiny), on the 27th day of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims believe the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.

The night passed “without exceptional incident,” Channel 2 quoted the police as saying. Thousands of Muslim worshipers attended the prayer session, among them some 80 Palestinians from Gaza, who were granted special permission by Israel to take part in the religious ceremony.

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. But police quickly responded with riot dispersal measures, and there were no injuries or damage reported.

Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevi on Friday instructed more than 3,000 police and Border Police officers to deploy throughout the capital ahead of the nighttime prayers.

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.

Police in Jerusalem were placed on the highest level of alert Friday, shortly after a deadly shooting attack in the South Hebron Hills killed yeshiva head Miki Mark, and a day after 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel was stabbed to death in her home at the Kiryat Arba settlement.

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

“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.

“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.

Miki Mark’s wife, Hava, was still in serious but stable condition Saturday morning, the head of Hadassah Ein Kerem’s trauma unit told the Ynet news website.

“Despite [her] serious condition, the doctors are satisfied and she is stable,” said Professor Avi Rivkind. She was hit by gunfire during the attack that killed her husband and wounded two of her children.

Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report