Israel confirms arrest of 3 Turks in Jerusalem

Israeli authorities have arrested three Turkish tourists in Jerusalem over an incident that followed Muslim prayers at a flashpoint holy site, Reuters reported a police spokesman as saying on Saturday.

The spokesman did not elaborate on the circumstances of Friday’s arrests, which came as Israel confronted Palestinian protests against US President Donald Trump’s December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as its capital.

The Turkish consulate in Jerusalem had no immediate comment.

Unverified bystander video appeared to show Israeli police detaining several fez-wearing men and boys in the walled Old City of East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and which Palestinians want as capital of their own future state.

Read: UN General Assembly votes to condemn Trump’s Jerusalem recognition

Although Trump left open the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians drawing up Jerusalem borders under a future peace deal, his announcement reversed decades of US reticence over the city’s status. Turkey has been a vocal opponent of his move.

Tension has risen across the Palestinian territories since US President Donald Trump’s decision to officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks.

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.

Read: Israel arrests 16 year old Palestinian girl who forced them off her land