Police on high alert in Jerusalem ahead of first Friday prayers of Ramadan

Police say they plan to deploy some 3,000 police and border officers across Jerusalem tomorrow for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

A spokesman says police will operate with additional reinforcements at checkpoints on the perimeter of Jerusalem, in East Jerusalem and within the Old City. Police say they aim to prevent “hostile elements from exploiting Ramadan for incitement, disturbances, terrorism or any form of violence.”

Several roads adjacent to the Old City, including Nablus, Sultan Suleiman and Salah a-Din Streets in the East Jerusalem downtown, will be closed to traffic from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Police advise drivers to use Begin Road as an alternative route.

The holy site has been a flashpoint for violence, particularly with large crowds gathering on Ramadan, and has seen frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces over the years, sometimes leading to wider violence.

Last month, Hebrew outlets reported that Israel’s security establishment plans to allow only 10,000 West Bank Palestinians to enter the al-Aqsa compound for Friday prayer, and only if they submit a request in advance. Ex-prisoners released under the current ceasefire deal will not be permitted to enter the compound.

Hamas calls on Palestinian Muslims in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as Arab Israelis to reject efforts to impose restrictions and to travel to the Temple Mount in large numbers and oppose attempts by Israel to “desecrate and control” the site, “by any means.”