Israeli police reopen Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli police on Wednesday reopened East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after a one-day closure.

The holy site was reopened shortly before the dawn prayers, according to local residents.

Israeli police shut the compound on Tuesday on claims of an arson attack on an Israeli police station near the site, triggering clashes with angry Palestinians.

Around 16 Palestinians have been injured in the violence, according to Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments Authority, a Jordan-run agency tasked with overseeing the city’s Muslim and Christian sites.

Israeli police said its forces had arrested 10 Palestinians, including two minors, for allegedly setting the fire.

Tension has mounted in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa compound’s Al-Rahma Gate, located adjacent to the eastern wall of the Old City, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations.

In the weeks since, the Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians -- including religious officials -- from entering the Al-Aqsa, which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.