The Israeli police allowed the Palestinians to return to a wooden driveway on the outskirts of the Old City of Jerusalem on Sunday evening. This measure aims to ease tensions of the past days.
Then thousands of Palestinians gathered in a square in East Jerusalem to celebrate their return to the historic area of the city, to which the gate is an access point. The Old City district is a popular night gathering place for Muslims during Ramadan.
Police allowed the protesters to remove the metal gates that had been blocking access for several days. According to Israeli media, the decision to reopen the area was made after consultations between the police, the local government and shopkeepers in East Jerusalem.
According to the Palestinians, the police set up the fence in order to wield more power over Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Police say the fences have been erected to give free access to the mosque for thousands of Muslims who want to pray there.
At the start of Ramadan in mid-April, night tensions flared up again. It sometimes escalated into riots as Palestinians protested the popular park’s closure.
The fiercest riots took place on Thursday evening, when the Palestinians tried to disrupt a march of supporters of a far-right Jewish movement. The latter echoed “Death to the Arabs.” The Israeli occupation forces, which were mobilized to participate in the march, impeded the Palestinians. About a hundred Palestinians and about twenty Israeli police officers were injured.
Skirmishes occurred again at night from Saturday to Sunday. Then the police carried out 17 arrests. Even after the entry gate reopened on Sunday evening, some unrest persisted. For example, the police tried to confiscate the Palestinian flags waved by protesters.
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