Israeli police have removed the fences placed in front of the Damascus gate in Jerusalem at the beginning of Ramadan. This is said to have been decided after consultation between the police, the local administration and shopkeepers, due to the mounting tensions in the area.
According to the Palestinians, the police had placed the fences in order to exert more power over Israel-occupied East Jerusalem. The police themselves say that the fences were placed to keep access to a mosque free for the thousands of Muslims who want to pray there.
The measure was announced via a megaphone. Thousands of Palestinians then gathered in a square in East Jerusalem to celebrate their return to the historic city area, to which the gate is an access point. The old town area is a popular nighttime gathering place for Muslims during Ramadan.
There has been unrest in Jerusalem since Thursday due to clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police. Young people threw stones and Molotov cocktails and officers tried to disperse people with flash grenades and horses, among other things. Friday morning it was reported that more than a hundred people had been injured. Skirmishes again took place in the night from Saturday to Sunday. The police then carried out seventeen arrests.
Even after the entrance gate was reopened on Sunday evening, there were still a few disturbances. For example, the police tried to confiscate Palestinian flags waved by demonstrators.
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