Israel steps up security in Jerusalem as Palestinians call for protests

Israel deployed hundreds of additional police officers on Friday following Palestinian calls for protests, after the main weekly Muslim prayers, against the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Several hundred additional police and border police have been deployed inside and in the vicinity of the Old City,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, as cited by AFP. Early Friday, the situation was calm in Jerusalem’s Old City, the location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam. Thousands typically attend the main weekly prayers at the compound. The disputed city is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides viewing it as their capital.