Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a briefing for foreign correspondents April 24, a week before the end of the month of Ramadan, to announce, “Israel is committed to the status quo on the Temple Mount. Muslims pray on the Temple Mount; non-Muslims only visit. There is no change, there will be no change and we have no plans to divide the Temple Mount between the faiths.” 

The briefing came after a tense weekend at Al-Aqsa, where unrest broke out April 22 between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces. Masked Palestinians threw rocks and firecrackers and Israeli police dispersed the demonstrations with stun grenades and other means. For the first time, the Israeli police used a drone to fire tear gas grenades inside the compound. 

The grim scene was streamed from Al-Aqsa via social networks across the Arab world, including within Israel. The Muslim Ra’am Party froze its membership in the coalition and its activity in the Knesset. On April 21, Jordan hosted an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Jerusalem. A few rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.

Protests broke out in some Arab communities in Israel such as Umm al-Fahm, where dozens of residents protested the conflict. The demonstration gave rise to vandalism and rock-throwing as the police tried to disperse it. Mayor Samir Mahamid arrived at the scene to confront the protesters and send them home. More protests took place outside of Israel, with dozens of people marching outside the Israeli Consulate in New York.