Palestinian worshipers on Friday ripped the doors off a building on the Temple Mount complex at the heart of recent tensions between Israeli security forces and the Islamic Waqf, which acts as the custodian of the volatile holy site on behalf of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian protesters removed the doors of the Gate of Mercy, or Bab al-Rahma, after Friday prayers, despite instructions from the Waqf, the Temple Mount custodian and the head sheikh, all of whom had urged calm
A group of protesters also raised the Palestinian flag on the roof of the building, and it was then removed by police, according to the Haaretz daily.
The Gate of Mercy was sealed by Israeli authorities in 2003 because the group managing the area had ties to Hamas, and it has been kept closed to stop illegal construction work there by the Waqf.
Israeli officials believe the work carried out by the Waqf, which refused to allow any Israeli observers, has led to the destruction of antiquities from periods of Jewish presence in the area.
The Waqf has repeatedly challenged the closure, convening and staging prayer-protests in the area that often erupted into clashes with police.
Last month, the Waqf reopened the site and Palestinian worshipers have begun to use it as a mosque, despite Israeli attempts to keep the area sealed.
Since then, several low-level clashes have broken out between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli security forces. On Thursday, police sealed off the entire Temple Mount after a firebomb was thrown at an officer.
High-level Israeli and Jordanian officials have been holding talks in the hope of defusing the situation. Last week, Israeli officials traveled to Jordan for meetings, and Jordanian officials have also visited Jerusalem, according to Israeli reports.
A Jerusalem court on Sunday ordered the temporary closure of a building at the center of rising tensions on the city’s Temple Mount in recent weeks.
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court said the building known as the Gate of Mercy or Golden Gate on the Temple Mount should be closed while legal proceedings continue.
The site’s administrator, the Waqf religious organization, was given 60 days to respond.
The court order came two days after Palestinian worshipers ripped the doors off the building shortly after Friday prayers, despite instructions from the Waqf urging calm.
A group of protesters also raised the Palestinian flag on the roof of the building, which was then removed by police.
The Gate of Mercy was sealed by Israeli authorities in 2003 because the group managing the area had ties to Hamas, and it has been kept closed to stop illegal construction work there by the Waqf that Israeli officials said had caused irreparable harm to archaeologically significant parts of the holy site.
Israeli officials believe the work carried out by the Waqf, which refused to allow any Israeli observers, has led to the destruction of antiquities from periods of Jewish presence in the area.
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