Israel metal detectors row was about sovereignty, not security
Despite the sudden climb-down, it is still not clear whether the move over the barriers will defuse the crisis, says Alex Rossi.
Tuesday 25 July 2017 22:33, UK
They came in the dead of night with heavy equipment to remove controversial metal detectors from outside the gates to the holy sites.
It was a after it stated just 24 hours before that they would stay.
The metal detectors had divided Israel's security establishment, with the Shin Bet security agency and the IDF (Israeli military) arguing they were counter-productive.
It seems those voices were part of the reason for the change of tack - but only after days of violent protests.
But it is still not clear whether the removal of the magnetometers will defuse the current crisis.
Israel says they will be replaced with high-tech cameras equipped with facial recognition.
The Waqf - the Jordanian religious trust that governs the holy esplanade - has put together a committee to look at the new security measures.
It wants the area returned to how it was before the metal detectors were installed; if it is not, it claims the "status quo" will have changed and that is unacceptable.
The current crisis was triggered when Israel installed the metal detectors after at the Lion's Gate in the Old City.
Israel maintains the measures did not alter the "Status Quo" agreement and were a necessary measure to prevent further attacks.
But at the moment the boycott remains in place.
Muslim worshippers are still refusing to pass through the gates to the holy sites and are instead praying outside in protest.
A lot depends now on what goes on behind the scenes and whether or not the Waqf can be convinced that what Israel has done, or is doing, is not changing what they consider to be the status quo.
And if the boycott is not lifted there will inevitably be further violent clashes.
The fundamental problem is the lack of trust between the two sides.
Israel claims the Palestinians use al-Aqsa to incite terror. The Palestinians claim Israel exploits the issue of security as a way of consolidating its illegal occupation.
The sites are of course of great religious and national importance to both Jews and Muslims.
The area is called the Temple Mount by Jews and is the holiest site in Judaism.
Muslims refer to the al-Aqsa compound as the Noble Sanctuary and it is the third holiest site in Islam.
The argument then was never about the metal detectors: the argument was always and still is about sovereignty.