JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Palestinian worshippers performed on Thursday their afternoon prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, first time since July 14.
Since July 14 attack at the vicinity of the mosque, where three armed Israeli Arabs and two Israeli policemen were killed, Palestinian worshippers had been performing their five-time daily prayers at the gates outside the mosque.
In response, Israel closed the gates that lead to the mosque for three days, then it decided to install electronic gates and cameras at the gates of the mosque. The Palestinians refused to enter the mosque under the new Israeli security measures.
On Thursday, Israel removed all electronic gates, bridges and cameras installed at the mosque's gates, where leaders of the Muslims in the city decided to allow prayers to go inside the mosque without any of the Israeli security measures.
Masses of worshippers entered into the mosque from "Bab Hutta," one of the gates lead to Al-Aqsa Mosque, right after the Israeli police opened it shortly before the afternoon prayers started.
Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that when worshippers went through the gate, Israeli police forces fired percussion bombs, tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at the crowds. The Red Crescent Society said 37 prayers were injured.
Earlier, Omar Kisswani, the Palestinian director of Al-Aqsa Mosque announced that leaders of Muslims in the city decided to resume prayers into the mosque after the Israeli authorities removed all security measures in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa.
He said the Palestinians insist that everything at Al-Aqsa Mosque has to return to before July 14, before the Israeli police measures were taken.
On Thursday morning, the Israeli police announced that its forces removed all the installed security facilities it put recently at Al-Aqsa Mosque and brought the situation back to before July 14.
The police said in a press statement that on Friday, it will deploy its reinforcement in East Jerusalem to prevent any violent clashes that may break out at Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the old city.
On the light of the Israeli police decision, the religious leaders in the city decided to perform the afternoon prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque and totally end their sit-in that has been going on for 13 days.
Director of Waqf in East Jerusalem Azzam Salhab read a statement in a news briefing held in Jerusalem and signed by Jerusalem's religious leaders saying they decided to perform the afternoon prayers on Thursday in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"Our decision was made after a special technical committee made sure that the Israeli police had removed all the previously installed security facilities at the mosque and its vicinity," said Salhab, adding "what happened was a great victory for the Palestinians and a new page of glory for the residents of Jerusalem."
Five Palestinians were killed and more than a thousand injured, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), during clashes with Israeli police since July 14, most of them in east of Jerusalem.
Following the crisis, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced Friday that all contacts with Israel, including security coordination, would be frozen until Israel retreated from its security measures against Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Abbas said that the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque was among the issues that led to the freezing of security coordination with Israel, adding that the leadership "will meet to study the rest of things and see what can be done."
"When we decided to freeze security coordination with Israel, it was because of a number of things that had arisen, including Al-Aqsa issue," Abbas said. "We must examine and examine other issues."
After the meeting, Fatah Party member Mohammad Eshtayeh told Xinhua that the Palestinian leadership "decided to continue to freeze contacts with Israel, including security coordination at the moment."
He explained that "the matter with regard to the position of contacts with Israel is under study, and it's not only limited to the events of Al-Aqsa, but also related to the measures taken by Israel, especially in continuation of settlement expansion."
Eshtayeh pointed out that it was decided to resume prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque after hearing a report from the Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Mohammed Hussein and the technical committee specialized in confirming the removal of all security measures imposed by Israel in the vicinity of the mosque.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian source told Xinhua that the Palestinian leadership "commissioned a specialized technical committee to continue its work to check the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque from inside and to examine any changes carried out by Israel in its courtyards."
The source said that the leadership also decided to accelerate the steps to prepare for a meeting of the Central Council of Palestine Liberation Organization and intensify efforts towards reconciliation to end the internal division since mid-2007.
For its part, the Palestinian consensus government considered that "the entry of the Al-Aqsa Mosque today is a great historical moment that paves the way for liberation and preaches the imminent disappearance of the Israeli occupation."
"The Palestinian people, led by their courageous leadership, have demonstrated that they are capable of achieving victory through cohesion, unity and unity," government spokesman Yousuf Mahmood said in a press release.
"Our people in Jerusalem have proven that they are the heroes of the nation and that they are the protectors of Jerusalem and the holy places," he said, adding "this is manifested in the spirit of tolerance and cohesion which is unmatched by our people, Muslims and Christians."
