Fatah official tells MEE: al-Aqsa restrictions are nothing new

Hatem Abdel Qader, a member of Fatah and former minister for Jerusalem affairs, spoke to MEE on Friday morning. He told us about the situation on the ground in Jerusalem as heavy rain falls on the city and throughout the West Bank.

"There is still a lot of tension, especially around the ongoing funeral for Hijazi" - Mu'taz Hijazi's body was buried on Thursday night, but people will continue to give their condolences to his family for a further two days.

Qader said that, though the Palestinian Authority has not issued any calls for further confrontations, they "still expect clashes between the youth and the security forces to continue.

"The Israelis were forced due to pressure from the US and Jordan to reopen the gates [of the al-Aqsa compound]. 

"But the youth [men under 40 or 50] have been denied access to al-Aqsa on a recurring and regular basis over the past year. This in itself, as well as settlers raiding al-Aqsa, provoke people and may be the reason for the ongoing clashes."