Tensions ahead of Friday prayers as Israel lifts age restrictions at sensitive Jerusalem holy site

(14 Nov 2014) Israeli police waived age restrictions for Palestinians wishing to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque on Friday after Israel and Jordan committed to a series of steps to reduce spiralling tensions over Jerusalem's holy sites. In Jerusalem, the police presence appeared to be markedly reduced from previous weeks. Tensions surrounding the sacred hilltop compound known to Jews as Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary have boiled over into violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in recent weeks. In the West Bank, cars and pedestrians lined up at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Ramallah to cross into Israel. Tensions have spilled over into the West Bank as well, with clashes occurring there in recent weeks. Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Israel on Thursday evening for Jordan to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II and US Secretary of State John Kerry. The meeting was aimed at calming the troubled situation in Jerusalem before burgeoning violence gets out of control. As the custodian of the Muslim holy sites of Jerusalem and with significant influence in the West Bank, Jordan plays a key moderating and mediating role between Israel and the Palestinians. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...