Muslim prayers end peacefully at Jerusalem mosque

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque ended peacefully today amid two weeks of unrest over security devices at the major holy site in Jerusalem, Israeli police said, but violence flared in the West Bank, where a Palestinian was killed after he attacked soldiers and another died in clashes along Gaza's border with Israel.

Tensions have been high since Arab gunmen killed two police officers in the sacred Jerusalem compound July 14, prompting Israel to install security devices at entrances to the site that is holy to both Muslims and Jews.

The move outraged Muslims and sparked some of the worst street clashes in years, threatening to draw Israel into conflict with other Arab and Muslim nations. Under intense pressure, Israel removed the metal detectors this week and said it planned to install sophisticated security cameras instead.

By nightfall today, Jordan's religious body that administers the Jerusalem site said the situation at the compound had returned to what it was before the July 14 attack – a key Palestinian demand for protests to end.

The Waqf said "all doors are opened in front of worshipers without restrictions or conditions," adding the development was a result of "pressure from the Jordanian government on the Israeli government."

Firas Dibs, an official from Waqf, said earlier that tens of thousands attended prayers today.

The prayers ended without incident, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. There were some sporadic, low-level scuffles between Palestinians and Israeli forces nearby, but nothing on the scale of recent violence.