Jerusalem tense but calm, as clashes erupt in Hebron

Weekly Muslim prayers at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque went off without incident Friday despite high tensions in city, but there were clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron.

After Israel  dropped age restrictions for attending Friday prayers for the second week running, tens of thousands of people made their way to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied  east Jerusalem. 

Police were out in force to prevent a repeat of clashes  that have rocked the city for months.   

Palestinians have been infuriated by a far-right Jewish campaign for prayer rights at the compound.

Police had tried to preempt unrest by limiting male entry to those over 35, but Israel eased the restrictions last week after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced an agreement on steps to reduce tensions.

The compound, known in Arabic as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, is the third-holiest place in Islam. While Israel controls entry to the site in the heart of the Old City, Jerusalem's Muslim authorities administer it, while Jordan acts as custodian.

Israel is struggling to contain a widespread unrest in occupied east Jerusalem that has seen a growing number of deadly attacks by Palestinians. 

On Tuesday, two Palestinians killed five people at a synagogue in west Jerusalem before being shot dead. 

The city's bloodiest attack in years, it followed a spate of attacks, including two incidents in which Palestinians ploughed cars into pedestrians, killing four people. 

But with the lifting of age restriction appearing to have calmed tensions around the site last week, there were none of the habitual clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli police Friday. 

Hebron clashes

However, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron hundreds of Palestinians heeded a call from Islamist group Hamas for a "day of rage" in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

A military spokeswoman said "350 rioters threw stones outside a mosque" and "were being dispersed by non-lethal means."