Thousands pray to the Old City and to the evening prayer on the Temple Mount/ Israel Police Spokesperson
Last night, the Chief Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority announced that today (Monday) is the first day of the month of Ramadan.
After his announcement, fireworks were fired from the Ramadan cannon stationed in the cemetery near the Temple Mount and hundreds of young Arabs, residents of East Jerusalem, flocked to the Temple Mount for the Tishbit prayer.
Some of them prayed outside the mountain, according to them, due to restrictions imposed by the police.
Minor frictions developed instead.
Starting today, the number of worshipers going to the mountain will increase by thousands more.
The peak of the increase is expected to occur already this Friday.
Among the worshipers will be Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Authority Arabs, whose entry was limited to only 15,000.
Heightened alertness for a growing threat.
Police forces in the Old City of Jerusalem/Israel Police spokeswoman
As part of the preparations for the coming month, the Jerusalem police are carrying out routine arrests against those suspected of inciting terrorism on a large scale.
Recently, dozens of suspects, perpetrators of incitement and disorder, were administratively removed from the Jerusalem area for the month of Ramadan.
This, in order to prevent the scenes from years past, when every evening in the month of Ramadan, hundreds of Arab rioters barricaded themselves on the Temple Mount and threw stones at the police forces stationed on the outskirts of the mountain.
The police state that we have completed the operational preparations for the month of Ramadan.
Among other things, hundreds of police officers were deployed in East Jerusalem as part of the increased presence in the area and at the crossings, where, as mentioned, thousands of Palestinians are expected to pass on Fridays on their way to the Temple Mount.
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One of the goals: not to let such scenes return.
Clashes between police and worshipers on the Temple Mount, last April/documentation on social networks according to Article 27 A of the Copyright Law
"There will always be threats, no matter how we act."
The Temple Mount last April/Reuters
A few days ago, a senior officer in the Jerusalem Police, Deputy Superintendent Eyal Hebri, commented on the restrictions that were planned in the issues of the pilgrims to the Mount and finally rejected almost overwhelmingly by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that this year, "contrary to our position, free entry to the Temple Mount will be allowed during Ramadan", however He emphasized that "there will always be threats, it doesn't matter that much in the actions that the police will take. Last year was the best behavior that could have been and yet there were disturbances and stone throwing on the Temple Mount."
This year, following the war, many of the festivals and celebrations planned for the month of Ramadan, which marks a month of getting closer to God, were canceled immediately.
The decorations and stalls that were a place of refuge and an investment by the Jerusalem Municipality for the residents of the east of the city and prevented more than one disorder and violence - were not erected this year, among other things following a statement by the Waqf and after a conversation between the heads of the communities in the east of the city and municipal officials regarding the situation.
According to the Hebrew Senate, the low number of celebrations and representatives is due, among other things, to "the identification with the so-called massacre in Gaza, and therefore this year the events will focus on prayers and religious songs."
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