RAMALLAH, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) said Wednesday that 29 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem and West Bank.
The PPC information officer Amani Sarahneh told Xinhua the the 29 were arrested during various raids throughout the West Bank and during protests that continued overnight in East Jerusalem.
She added that one of those detained was a former female detainee from Heborn, south of the West Bank, who was released last month after spending one and a half years in Israeli jails.
The overnight arrests took place against the backdrop of continued protests over new Israeli security measures in East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque.
On July 14, three Arab-Israeli gunmen opened fire at two Israeli policemen and shot them dead, where police forces fired back at the gunmen and killed them.
The attack took place at the yard of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Israel closed the mosque in the face of Muslim prayers and then placed electronic gates and cameras at the entrances to the mosque. The action provoked the Muslims who refused to enter the mosque through these gates.
Israeli authorities removed on Tuesday the metal detectors and some of the cameras and started installing alternative wide gates, according to sources in the city, but it is not yet known what the new security measures will include.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Ababs said Tuesday night that "all measures were taken against al-Aqsa Mosque after July 14 should be cancelled and ended."
He added "the situation in Jerusalem has to get back to normal, then we will resume ties between us and them (Israelis).
Palestinian factions and political groups have called for more activities in protest of the continued Israeli measures at Al-Aqsa mosque, including marches towards military checkpoints and settlements in the West Bank, and continue their protests and sit-ins at the gates of the Muslim shrine.
