28 July, 2017
Violent protests near the mosque site - known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims - were triggered by Israeli authorities' installation of metal detectors and security cameras there following an attack on July 14 in which two Israeli police officers were killed.
In 2000, a visit to the compound by then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon helped ignite the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
But Israeli officials said previously they were to be replaced with "advanced technologies" - widely believed to be smart cameras with facial recognition technology.
The Security Cabinet allocated a budget of up to 100 million shekels to implement the plan over a time frame of up to six months. "Police will respond with a heavy hand to every attempt to disrupt order and harm police and citizens", the statement said.
He told Premier he hopes the removal of the security is a true and honest move by the Israeli government to promote unity.
The mosque was reopened on July 14, but Israeli forces installed metal detectors and security cameras around the mosque's compound, which they have no authority to do under worldwide law.
Chaotic scenes unfolded as Israeli police used stun grenades to try to control crowds charging forward when the last gate Muslims use to enter Al-Aqsa was opened after a stand-off lasting several hours. So far, at least four Palestinians have been killed and dozens more injured. The Status Quo is an global agreement, created at the end of the 1967 Six Day War, that stipulates that Palestinians will be able to worship at Al Aqsa freely and unfettered.
The gate is where two Israeli policemen were killed on July 14, prompting the new security measures. Palestinian leaders had called for a "day of rage" in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israeli Arab communities today.
The foreign minister said that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah has asserted that Israel should guarantee the freedom of the Palestinian people to practice their religion as well as ensure the security of all holy places, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to close the al-Jazeera offices in Jerusalem, after accusing the Qatar-based television news network of "inciting" violence in the city. A July 16 headline that appeared in hard copy, "Terror Strikes the Temple Mount, Holy to Muslims and Jews Alike", similarly obscured the identity of the attackers.
"For 12 days no one has slept, no one has done anything except the Al-Aqsa mosque", he said.
Police said worshipers began hurling rocks at security forces upon their reentry to the compound.
On Thursday, Muslim elders urged Palestinian worshippers to return to prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque after Israel backed down in the face of angry protests and removed all the restrictions at the holy site.
He also called the Western Wall occupied territory, and said that "Muslims demand [it] be returned to our sovereignty".
"It was a victory for the steadfast religious leadership and a victory for the political leadership in Jerusalem", Ganaim said.
