Israel has removed all security infrastructure it had put in place at Muslim entrances to the Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, taking a further step to try to diffuse heightened political and religious tension.
The government had already dismantled metal detectors it installed in the area after the killing of two Israeli policemen on July 14, hoping the decision would calm 10 days of often violent protests that have put the city on edge.
But it replaced the detectors with separate security measures, including closed-circuit cameras and low metal gates, further angering Palestinian leaders and the population, who have threatened a “day of rage” on Friday.
The stand-off around the holy site known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount has provoked some of the worst bloodshed Jerusalem has seen in years, at a time when peace efforts have gone nowhere since 2014.
