22 July, 2017
The father of the 20-year-old Palestinian assailant said he believes his son was upset over the loss of Palestinian lives and wanted to protect the "honor" of the Jerusalem holy site.
Among mass organizations joining the protests were Al Azhar Islamic Boarding School Foundation, Aqsa Working Group, Aspac For Palestine, ACT, and many others. The mosque is Islam's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
"All Muslims have the right to pray at Al-Aqsa", Ali said as she condemned the Israeli violations.
Israel initially closed the compound for two days following the attack in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday´s prayers.
Salih Turhan, president of the Anatolian Youth Foundation, referring to the ongoing fight of Palestinians for Al-Aqsa, said: "We have the same spirit here".
The measures led to a wave of anger among Palestinians, who called for the immediate removal of the detectors.
Michael Oren, a deputy minister for public diplomacy, alleged Saturday that Hamas and Abbas's government are exploiting tensions to incite violence.
The compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is also considered a Jewish holy site as the historical location of the two Jewish biblical temples.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, announced he was suspending contact with Israel on "all levels", dealing a blow to recent U.S. attempts to renew the long-dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Oren said Abbas' declaration may serve a political need but it "cuts off the limb on which he sits".
Three Israelis were stabbed to death in the West Bank by a 19-year-old Palestinian who was then shot by a neighbour.
The terror attack, which took place exactly one week ago at 7:00 a.m. Friday, prompted the upgraded security measures.
IDF soldiers and other volunteers guard the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Halamish following a deadly attack on July 22, 2017.
The Palestinian killed three members of the same Israeli family as they ate the traditional Sabbath meal.
"I condemn Israel's insistence on its position despite all warnings. and the excessive use of force by Israeli forces against our brothers gathered for Friday prayers", he said in a statement.
Turkey's foreign minister held a phone conversation on Friday with his Palestinian counterpart about the recent tension after Israeli officials imposed restrictions on Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa compound.
The site is open for women of all ages and for men over the age of 50, Xinhua news agency quoted a police spokesperson as saying.
Six people are dead after Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the Holy Land's most contested shrine boiled over into violence.
On Friday, several thousand Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in Jerusalem after noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week. The Halamish settlement is located in the West Bank.
