Riots at the Al Aqsa Mosque, April 5, 2023/Israeli Police Spokesperson
Ramadan will begin in a month, and with it the mass prayers of tens of thousands of Muslims on the Temple Mount.
In the background, a warning is sounded by security officials against restrictions on the entry of worshipers, for fear of unrest among the Arabs in Israel and Judea and Samaria.
Preparations at the Jerusalem Police are moving up a notch for this month, which even before it begins it is clear that it is going to be tense, and work meetings designed to deal with the tensions have already been taking place for some time.
As every year, the district will be reinforced with thousands of police officers in the area of the Old City and the Temple Mount, in crossings and crowded places.
According to the assessment, preventive arrests of instigators and agitators will be required during the month.
The cabinet is expected to make decisions in the 90th minute.
The district's position regarding the restrictions on worshipers has not yet been fully brought before the political level.
The situation will probably become clear in the coming weeks.
The Temple Mount after last year's riots, April 5, 2023/Reuters
One of the complex challenges in terms of the Jerusalem District in the police is the organization's limited manpower.
Unlike the previous years, this year many of the district's policemen are required to operate very intensively in other districts, following the fighting in the north and south.
This fact may affect the preparations in the Jerusalem District and the nature of the response in the event that the area is invaded, which further burdens the decision makers.
Meanwhile, in the field, they are reacting cautiously to the publications yesterday (Sunday) about the cabinet's apparent decision, according to which there may be restrictions on Muslim worshipers.
"I don't think people will have the strength for confrontations in Ramadan. People are quiet, there are hardly any stones," claims A, an Arab resident of the eastern part of the city.
He explains: "First of all, whoever throws a stone gets a bullet in the head. There are arrests and you see what is done to those arrested in prison. They have no food, they live in the juice of the garbage. They say for what? It is true that the young people do not listen to the adults, but now, when they see live fire being fired, everyone We understand what is happening on the ground."
A. does not expect the area to be overgrown.
"Ramadan is something else, fasting day and night, everyone goes out, but I don't think it will develop like we saw in 2021. Maybe a little, from boredom, but the police respond quickly. There are lots of police, lots of soldiers. Since October 7, in everything related They come to security quickly. If it's violence - it doesn't interest them, but really there is no wisdom."
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Police officers with rioting detainees on the Temple Mount, April 5, 2023/Flash 90, Jamal Awad
A. adds: "Even on the last Fridays, those who came to Al Aqsa and were not seen by them were sent home. Those who are clever enter it. There is deterrence. There may be clashes in Ramadan, I'm not saying no, but it won't go the way Hamas wants. Not like it was in previous years . There is deterrence. Since the war, those who open their mouths are blasted."
On the other hand, in the territories of Judea and Samaria themselves, the voices are less encouraging, and the first reactions to reports according to which Netanyahu will prevent entry to the Temple Mount actually lead to calls for the escalation of the struggle in Ramadan.
There are also those who point the finger of blame at the young people at the borders of the Green Line, the Triangle and Umm El Fahm, for not igniting a violent struggle against what they call "the crimes in Gaza".
There are even voices that claim that the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria also abandoned the protection of the mosque.
"He who is negligent has no place in Al-Aqsa," wrote one of the young men.
These voices call on young people both from the West Bank and from within the borders of the Green Line to join the uprising against the move and say: "Today it's Al Aksa - tomorrow the West Bank."
Fireworks on the Temple Mount, April 5, 2023/Flash 90, Jamal Awad
Meanwhile, on the Palestinian street, the first reactions are coming to the report that Netanyahu will prevent entry to the Temple Mount.
Many call for the escalation of the struggle specifically in Ramadan, and even point the finger of blame at the young people in Triangle and Umm El Fahm for not igniting a violent struggle against the "crimes" in the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, some claim that the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria also froze the yeast in "protecting" the mosque: "He who is negligent - has no place in Al Aqsa," wrote one of the young men.
They call on young people from all over the West Bank and from the Green Line to join the uprising against the move - and claim: "Today it's Al Aksa, and tomorrow it's the West Bank."
More on the same topic:
The Temple Mount
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