WEB DESK
Muslim leaders have lifted a boycott of offering namaz at Al Aqsa mosque, a key holy site in East Jerusalem after Israel removed the last of the security measures which had led to uproar.
They urged Palestinians to re-enter the Al-Aqsa mosque today for the first time since the crisis erupted two weeks ago. The last remnants of Israel’s recently installed security apparatus were taken away this morning.
Palestinians had fiercely objected to the measures introduced after the killing of two Israeli policemen.
They had refrained from entering the Old City complex known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount in protest over what they saw as an Israeli attempt to exert control over the contested site.
Last week Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he was freezing all contacts with Israel, including security co-operation, until Israel cancelled the new measures.
There have been intensive diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, involving the US and Jordan, which is custodian of the holy site and has a large Palestinian population.
