Arab youths are once again rioting near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City. Police reinforcements have been dispatched to the area to rein in the phenomenon.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Rioters threw rocks at buses, harassed Jewish women passing by, vandalized public property, and clashed with security forces. Almost all of the 22 rioters arrested Tuesday were minors.
Security officials believe social media has played a significant role in inflaming tensions on the Arab street in the capital. They are, however, unable to pinpoint the source of their anger, leading some to believe the youths are simply acting out due to boredom. The riots are not organized affairs, and they have been localized thus far.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has ordered Border Police to send reinforcements into the city.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Local vendors, whose sales have been hit as a result of the rioting, have spoken out against the violence.
Religious Zionism Party head Bezalel Smotrich visited the Damascus Gate area with fellow party members Wednesday.
"Sovereignty in Jerusalem cannot be captive to the hands of [Ra'am party head] Mansour Abbas. We came here because every night, Jews undergo attacks and harassment in the capital. Bennett's kowtowing to Abbas and the Islamic Movement is leading to the loss of governance over wide swathes of the country. The rioters understand that the government is limited in its ability to act against them, and they are taking advantage of this to determine facts on the ground. We are here to tell the Arab rioters and terrorists that that won't happen," he said.
Otzma Yehudit MK Itamar Ben-Gvir was among those lawmakers to accompany Smotrich. He said: "Officers who feel threatened need to act with a firm hand – and shoot if necessary. The police must be in charge. And if they want to, they can."
Meanwhile, Jewish prayer services on the Temple Mount are reportedly continuing under the radar despite the ban on non-Muslim prayer at the site.
According to The Jerusalem Post, 108 Jews visited the site on Monday and another 118 visited on Wednesday, 80 in the allotted morning hours and 38 later in the day.
The Temple Mount was closed to non-Muslims on Tuesday due to a Muslim holiday.
Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev held a meeting on Sunday with senior police officials where he noted the status-quo in place on the Temple Mount since 1967, which bans non-Muslim prayer on the site.
"In accordance with this situation, the Temple Mount will be open for visitation by non-Muslims but not for prayer," Bar-Lev said. "It is important we enforce" the continuation of this status" established by Israel in 1967, he said.
A spokesman for Bar-Lev clarified to The Jerusalem Post that his comments had not pertained to "quiet prayer," as the police cannot enforce a ban on prayer that is "in someone's heart."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
