Dozens of Muslims rioted in Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday morning and demanded to enter the Temple Mount, which has been shut down for the past month due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The police stated that it had dispersed dozens of people who had gathered in front of the Tribes Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, violated public order and chanted “nationalist calls.”
Israeli police forces operating on the scene dispersed the crowd and two suspects were arrested for questioning.
Similar riots broke out in Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled areas.
The riots coincided with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remained closed amid the Coronavirus pandemic during Ramadan, a decision made by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Council.
In other years in Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Muslims converge to the Al-Aqsa Mosque every year to pray.
Similarly, mosques in the PA and in Israel remained closed during Ramadan as part of the governments’ measures to contain the spread of the virus.
The PA has placed a curfew in the areas under its control from Saturday night until Monday, when Ramadan ends.
