"Prayers will happen, God willing, inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque," said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking at a press conference. The statement came after Muslim leaders announced the end of a two-week boycott of the site over security devices installed there by Israel.

Palestinians celebrated in the streets of Jerusalem Thursday morning, setting off fireworks, honking car horns and shouting "God is great," after Israeli authorities dismounted the security installations they had recently installed around a contested Jerusalem holy site known as Temple Mount to Jews and the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims. Israel's decision to remove the railings and overhead metal bridge followed a similar decision Tuesday that led to the removal of recently installed metal detectors.

The latest announcement sought to diffuse lingering tension that had arisen between Muslim worshippers and leaders and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had ordered the installation of security measures – and later their removal – on the 37-acre site after two Arab gunmen shot and killed two police officers on July 14 from inside the holy site.

Courtesy:DW