JERUSALEM (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Israeli authorities decided to remove the remaining metal detectors and surveillance cameras at the entrances to the Old City and the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem in a bid to ease Arab-Israeli tensions triggered by the recent restrictions.
"We will not enter the Al Aqsa mosque until the Bab Huta gate is opened. We will return to the starting point," Kiswani said in front of the Muslim crowd gathering near Bab al-Asbat.
The Temple Mount, which is the third holiest site in Islam, was equipped with metal detectors and surveillance video cameras to monitor its territory after deadly shooting at the site on July 14 that left two Israeli police officers killed. The measures led to violent clashes in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the weekend and forced Palestine to suspend contacts with Israel over several Palestinian deaths. So far, at least four Palestinians have been killed and dozens more injured.
In order to put an end to this violence, Israel announced on Tuesday its decision to remove the metal detectors and security cameras from the Lions' Gate, the eastern entrance to the Old City and the Temple Mount. Instead, Israel will conduct security inspections based on advanced technologies ("smart inspection").