Palestinians ended a boycott and entered a sensitive Jerusalem holy site for the first time in two weeks Thursday after Israel removed controversial security measures there, potentially ending a crisis that sparked deadly unrest.
Thousands of worshippers streamed into the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, for afternoon prayers. The site includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Some cried as they entered while others shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest).
A last-minute confrontation threatened to derail the planned end of the boycott as Israeli police were keeping one of the gates leading to the holy site closed. The Bab al-Hutta gate is where two Israeli policemen were killed on July 14, prompting the new security measures. Police later opened the gate and Palestinians stuck to their plan to end the boycott.
However, as soon as the compound was reopened for Muslims, reports of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces started to appear with numbers of injuries ranging between 40 to 100.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported 46 people wounded both inside the Haram al-Sharif compound and in the immediate area. The reasons for the clashes inside the compound were not immediately clear.
Outside, clashes broke out when a group of policemen walked in the middle of a crowd. Palestinians threw plastic bottles and Israeli forces fired stun grenades.
A tense standoff had been underway between Israel and Muslim worshippers at the holy site despite the removal of metal detectors on Tuesday. Newly installed railings and scaffolding where cameras were previously mounted were also cleared early Thursday, after which police said all new security measures had now been removed.
Israel's decision marks a significant climb down by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and comes after days of diplomatic effort by the United Nations and pressure from countries in the region including Turkey and Jordan.
The dispute began after Israel installed metal detectors, cameras and steel barriers at Muslim entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, following the July 14 killing of two Israeli policemen by Palestinian gunmen who had concealed weapons there. The extra security provoked days of unrest, with violent clashes on the streets of East Jerusalem. Israeli forces shot and killed five Palestinians in the fight, and a Palestinian man stabbed and killed three Israelis in their home. Many Muslims have refused to enter the compound for the past two weeks, instead praying in the streets around the Old City. But Muslim elders have said they are satisfied that Israeli authorities had reverted to how security was before July 14.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backed calls for worshippers to return to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on Thursday after Israeli authorities removed controversial new security measures. "The prayers will happen, God willing, inside Al-Aqsa Mosque," Abbas told a press conference.
The Palestinian leadership suspended security coordination with Israel over the new measures. Abbas said Thursday decision had not been made on whether to renew it.
"For now we will talk only about the afternoon prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque and afterward have a meeting to decide or study the rest," he said.
The leader of Hamas, a resistance party that runs the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, hailed the Israeli reversal as a victory.
"We salute the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem in the face of occupation," Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement. "We stress what happened was a bright moment in the pages of victory and the beginning of the defeat of the [Israeli] occupation of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa."
Palestinian political factions considered the Israeli move as a victory over Israel, with Netanyahu regarded as having backed down. A spokesman for Netanyahu declined to comment on the decision, but the right-wing criticized him.
"Israel is emerging weakened from this crisis, to my regret," said Education Minister Naftali Bennett, whose right-wing faction is in Netanyahu's coalition and is a potential challenger for the leadership.
"The truth must be stated. Instead of bolstering our sovereignty in Jerusalem, a message was relayed that our sovereignty can be shaken," he said.
Netanyahu had insisted that the extra security was needed to ensure safety at the site, which is also popular with tourists. But by taking the steps to bolster security, Israel was materially changing the sensitive status quo, which has governed movement and religious practice for decades.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, including the Old City and the holy compound, in the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed the area and declared it part of its "indivisible capital". That has never been recognized internationally, with the United Nations and others regarding East Jerusalem as occupied by Israel and maintain that the status of the city can only be determined through negotiations between the parties.
