Police boost presence in Jerusalem ahead of Friday prayers
Cops remain on high alert around Temple Mount, though no specific threat of violence and no restrictions placed on Muslims worshipers
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Police on Friday once again boosted their presence in Jerusalem’s Old City, bringing in additional forces ahead of weekly Muslim prayers at the Temple Mount compound, following three weeks of tension around the holy site.
Police sources told Channel 2 news they had no specific warnings of planned disturbances but remained on high alert nonetheless.
There were no restrictions on access to Jerusalem, the Old City, or entry to the Temple Mount for Muslim worshipers, police said.
Last Friday, tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers attended Friday prayers on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), after 13 consecutive days of tensions and standoff at the site following the implementation of new Israeli security measures.
Muslims had only returned to the Temple Mount, which houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the day before. During the previous two weeks, prayers had been held in nearby streets as a protest at the new security measures, instituted following the July 14 terror attack in which Arab Israeli assailants used guns smuggled into the compound to kill two Israeli policemen.
Muslim worshipers had clashed with Israeli troops on multiple occasions around the Old City during the two-week standoff.
All the new security measures were removed last week.
The fate of the Temple Mount is an emotional issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even the smallest perceived change to delicate arrangements pertaining to the site sparks tensions.
Jews revere the hilltop compound as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism, and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of one of the temples, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.
The walled compound is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. It is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Muslims believe the site marks the spot where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Israel had faced intense pressure over the security devices and said it plans to install sophisticated cameras instead. Palestinian leaders and Muslim clerics had insisted Israel restore the situation at the shrine to what it was before the attack.
Dov Lieber, agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.