Saudi king's efforts to restore calmness in Aqsa "successful"

RIYADH - 27 July 2017: Saudi King Salman ben Abdul Aziz underlined the importance of restoring calmness to Aqsa Mosque and respecting the sanctity of the holy shrine.

The monarch had been in contact with the US and other world powers over the past few days to try to prevent the closure of Al Aqsa Mosque in the face of Muslims, according to issued by the Saudi royal court on Thursday,

The statement said that developments showed this push had been successful.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave directives to police to check Aqsa worshipers using hand-held metal detectors.

The orders came hours after removing metal detectors which raised hackles of the Palestinians.

On Tuesday, Israel removed metal detectors from outside a holy site in East Jerusalem after uproar from Palestinians over their recent introduction.

It said it plans to replace them with less obtrusive surveillance.

There were deadly clashes after the metal detectors were set up, which Palestinians saw as an Israeli attempt to assert control over the site.

Israel said they were necessary to prevent weapons being smuggled in.

It followed the killing on July 14 of two Israeli policemen by Arab-Israeli gunmen, who police say had hidden their weapons on the hilltop site of al Haram al Sharif.