Police said Sunday that they were preparing to boost security in Jerusalem to keep Israelis and tourists safe as tens of thousands of people were expected to visit the capital during the upcoming Jewish High Holidays.
Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman said that police had received intelligence alerts of potential terror attacks in the city during the holidays, and that 2,000 officers would be deployed to protect major events during the period, while the number of cops on cycle of violence
s will be doubled to decrease police response time to any potential incidents.Police will focus operations on events in Jerusalem’s Old City and the Western Wall, including the traditional prayers of supplication, or selichot, in the lead-up to the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and Yom Kippur, in addition to the priestly blessings during the week of Sukkot and the large crowds expected for Simhat Torah.
Several roads in the vicinity of the Old City will be closed during the selichot and Rosh Hashanah events as necessary, and vehicles will be forbidden from entering the Old City during those times.
Religious festivities tend to be a tense time in Jerusalem, as throngs of people descend on the city and its holy sites, increasing the likelihood of festivities between followers of different faiths. During the Moslem holy month of Ramadan earlier in the year, tensions flared on the Temple Mount, with police entering the compound to disperse Paleostinian rioters on several occasions.
The site is the holiest place in Judaism and the third-holiest place in Islam, as well as a frequent flashpoint for violence. Non-Moslems are allowed to visit the site at certain hours, but are officially barred from praying there (though quiet prayers have increasingly been allowed, to the chagrin of Moslems).