According to OCHA, 87,000 and 122,000 Palestinians were allowed to enter Jerusalem from the West Bank on the second and third Fridays of Ramadan, respectively. Unlike last year, Gaza worshippers were not allowed to travel to Jerusalem for Friday prayers, except for international organizations’ staff based Gaza (according to Gisha). Reportedly, 200,000 Muslim worshippers attended the last Friday prayers of Ramadan.
While the month of Ramadan was not disrupted by violent confrontations in Jerusalem, on June 6 the entry of Jews to the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif esplanade sparked tensions. The visits of Jewish visitors to the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount during Ramadan have been a recurrent source of tensions in previous years, especially in the last 10 days of Ramadan. This year, after two days of tensions, the Israeli police announced that the esplanade would be closed to Jewish visitors until the end of Ramadan.