Israel installed metal detectors at the 37-acre esplanade - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - after two security guards were killed by three Israeli Arabs on July 14. Violence ensued upon their installation, killing four Israelis and three Palestinians last Friday and Saturday.
To try to diffuse the tensions, Israeli security cabinet said it would replace the intrusive metal detectors with smart checking devices that can detect hidden objects. The new security system is to be installed in the next six months and cost 100 million shekels (24 million euros, $28 million).
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the top Muslim cleric who oversees the al-Aqsa Mosque both dismissed the new Israeli measures and demanded all of them be removed. Abbas also said the coordination between Israeli and Palestinian security forces will remain on hold until the security situation at the site is restored.