Jerusalem - Israel bolstered security in
the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday and prepared for possible
clashes with Muslim worshippers after Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu decided metal detectors at a sensitive holy site would
not be removed.
There have been daily confrontations between Palestinians
hurling rocks and Israeli police using stun grenades since the
detectors were placed at the entrance to the shrine, known to
Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, on
Sunday, after the killing of two Israeli policemen.
Muslim leaders and Palestinian political factions have urged
the faithful to gather for a "day of rage" against the new
security policies, which they see as changing delicate
agreements that have governed the holy site for decades.
The Israeli police said extra units had been mobilised to
bolster security in the Old City, while Muslim access to the
shrine for prayers would be limited to women of all ages and
men over 50.
Men install metal detectors at an entrance to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City. Picture: Ammar Awad/Reuters
Roadblocks were in place on approach roads to
Jerusalem to stop buses carrying Muslims to the site.
"Police are coordinating to enable Friday prayers to take
place and at the same time security measures are taking place,"
spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said.
The Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount compound, containing the
Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa Mosque, has long been a source of
religious friction.
Since Israel captured and annexed the Old
City, including the compound, in the 1967 Middle East war, it
has also become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
Israeli border policemen secure the entrance to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount. Picture: Ammar Awad/Reuters
On Thursday, there were calls for Netanyahu to back down and
remove the metal detectors so as not to inflame the situation.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, after discussing the issue
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin to press for their removal.
Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations' special coordinator
for long-stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks, appealed for
calm and the White House urged a resolution. Jordan, which is
the ultimate custodian of the holy site, has also been involved
in mediation efforts.
DETECTORS STAY
But after a late-night meeting of his security cabinet,
Netanyahu decided the metal detectors should stay.
Officials
said they were necessary to ensure Palestinians and
Israeli-Arabs do not smuggle weapons into the holy compound.
Far-right members of Netanyahu's government - which relies
on religious and right-wing parties for support - had publicly
urged him to keep the devices in place.
"Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo at the
Temple Mount and the freedom of access to the holy places," the
security cabinet said in a statement.
"The cabinet has authorised the police to take any decision
in order ensure free access to the holy places while maintaining
security and public order."
Palestinians pray at Lions' Gate, an entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, in protest over Israel's new security measures at the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque. Pucture: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Tensions around the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount have
erupted into violence in the past. In 2000, after then Israeli
opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited, Palestinians took it as
a provocation.
It led to clashes that spiralled into the second
Intifada, when an estimated 1 000 Israelis and some 3 000
Palestinians were killed over four years of violence.
As well as anger at having to submit to Israeli security
policies, Palestinians are alarmed at what they see as the slow
chipping away at the status quo at the Noble Sanctuary.
Since Ottoman times, while Jews are permitted to visit the
area - considered the holiest place in Judaism, where an ancient
temple once stood - only Muslims are allowed to pray.
Over the past decade, however, visits by
religious-nationalist Jews have increased sharply and some
attempt to pray. While police are supposed to eject them if they
do, the rules are not always enforced, fuelling Muslim anger.