Israel police withdraw from J'lem’s Dome of Rock: Guard

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock Mosque was reopened to Muslim worshippers on Monday evening following an hours-long siege by Israeli police, one of the mosque's Palestinian guards told Anadolu Agency.

“Police have withdrawn from the area, allowing worshippers to enter the mosque," the guard, speaking anonymously as he was not authorized to talk to media, said.

Following the police withdrawal, he added, dozens of worshippers had performed prayers at the iconic mosque.

Earlier Monday, Israeli police had imposed a siege on the Dome of the Rock, located inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, sparking tensions between police and Palestinian worshippers.

According to Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments Authority, the incident began earlier Monday when Palestinian guards shut the mosque after an Israeli policeman tried to force his way into the site.