Netanyahu bans Jews and tourists from visiting mosque compound until end of Ramadan

Israel imposes severe restrictions in Jerusalem, bars Palestinian youths from entering Al-Aqsa

Israeli police officers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. AFP

Israeli forces tightened their military measures in the Old City of Jerusalem, preventing Palestinian youths from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, while hundreds of settlers stormed the mosque's courtyards, on the sixth day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to the Palestinian news and information agency Wafa, settlers carried out their incursions in groups from the side of the Al-Maghariba Gate, yesterday, amid tight protection from the Israeli police, who kept Palestinian worshipers away from the path of the settlers' incursions, and the occupation forces stormed the roof of the tribal prayer hall.

Following the raids, a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office yesterday said that visits by Jews and tourists to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem would be banned until the end of Ramadan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to restore calm and security to his country on all fronts, and his remarks came on the heels of a week that saw clashes and escalation of violence between the two sides in addition to the firing of rockets from Lebanon at a time when the month of Ramadan coincided with the Jewish and Christian Passover holidays, and violent clashes took place at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, last Wednesday, between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli security forces, and in the wake of which Palestinian factions vowed to launch revenge attacks.

Netanyahu announced he was reversing his decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Galant over criticism of the government's controversial plan to reform the judiciary, stressing that Yoav Galant would remain in office. Netanyahu added: "I decided to leave the differences we had behind. Gallant is still in office and we will continue to work together for the security of the citizens of Israel," Galant tweeted, "We continue to work together with all our strength for the security of Israel."

Gallant announced yesterday that two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in the West Bank near the settlement of Elon Moreh, and said: "The soldiers prevented an attack on Israeli civilians."

Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank are deteriorating sharply due to the suspension of services by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the Palestinian Ministry of Labour has warned.

In a statement that is the first of its kind, the ministry held the UNRWA administration responsible for all the repercussions that resulted from the suspension of services inside the Palestinian camps, due to the strike announced by the agency's employees, which lasted for more than two months.

The Union of Arab Workers in UNRWA in the West Bank announced the day before yesterday, escalatory steps after two months of open strike in two stages in all health, educational and service sectors, and the union says that it has about 16 demands, including increasing the number of service workers in the camps, and reducing the number of students in school classes, but the entrance to stop the strike is the demand related to raising wages.

UNRWA says it is suffering from a decline in its international funding, which has led to a $70 million deficit from last year's budget that has been carried over to this year.