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Tel Aviv [Israel], March 6 (ANI/TPS): The Israeli Police said on Thursday that 3,000 officers would be deployed in Jerusalem for the first Friday of Ramadan as thousands of Muslims are expected to gather at the Temple Mount for morning prayers.
"The ongoing security system will be intensified and police activity on traffic routes will be intensified, all with the aim of providing the best response to any scenario and acting to prevent attempts by hostile elements to exploit the days of the month of Ramadan to incite, disrupt order, terror or violence of any kind," the police said. Friday morning prayers are especially large, and Palestinian terror attacks have surged during the Islamic holy month. On Friday, 10,000 Palestinians at a time will be allowed to pray. Imprisoned Palestinian terrorists who returned to their homes in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria in exchange for Israeli hostages will be banned from the holy site. Hamas has called on Palestinians to travel to the Temple Mount en masse. Police are also monitoring Arab social media networks for incitement. The Temple Mount, where the First and Second Jewish Temples were built, is the overall holiest site in Judaism. The Western Wall, the only remnant of a retaining wall encircling the Temple Mount, was built by Herod the Great in the first century and is the holiest site where Jews can freely pray. According to the delicate status quo governing the Temple Mount, non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site, but not pray there. The status quo goes back to 1967 when Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six-Day War. Fearing a religious war, then-defense minister Moshe Dayan agreed to let the Islamic Waqf, a Muslim trusteeship, continue managing the holy site's day-to-day affairs, while Israel maintained sovereignty and responsibility for security. The Waqf is overseen by Jordan. (ANI/TPS)
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