Israel To Replace Temple Mount Metal Detectors With Less Obtrusive Surveillance

Holy Site Fight: Palestinians hold up plastic guns during demonstrations on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Image by getty images
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel on Tuesday decided to remove metal detectors it had placed at the entrance to a holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City with other, less obtrusive surveillance means, a cabinet statement said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted to remove the metal detector gates after a meeting lasting several hours convening for a second time on Monday after they had broken off discussions a day earlier.
Tensions escalated sharply since Israel installed the metal detectors at entry points to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem after two Israeli police guards were shot dead by gunmen there on July 14.