(JTA) — Israel Police have lifted restrictions on the access of Muslim worshippers on the Temple Mount.
“So far the decision is to return to normal procedures, with no restrictions on entry of worshippers,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri said Tuesday in a statement, the French news agency AFP reported. The police said the decision could change depending on security concerns.
Palestinians were banned from Jerusalem’s Old City and access to the Temple Mount for Muslim prayer was limited to men aged 50 and over in the wake of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem that left two men dead.
On Tuesday night, a protest by hundreds of Arab-Israelis in Jaffa on behalf of the Palestinians turned violent, with six Israel Police officers injured in clashes.
The protesters, waving Palestinian flags, threw stones at police and cars, and blocked roads with trash cans and tires.
“In spirit and in blood, we will redeem Al-Aqsa,” the protesters chanted, according to the Times of Israel, referring to the mosque on the Temple Mount, which is holy to Jews and Muslims.
Two protesters were arrested on suspicion of assaulting police officers. The police said the demonstration was held without a permit.
Jaffa, a mixed Jewish and Arab city in central Israel, is located in the southern part of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality.
