Yesterday, 3,000 Israeli police officers surrounded the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem with a steel barrier in order to prevent a right-wing Jewish protest/mass prayer from taking place at the contested Temple Mount site. The rally, intended as a protest of the evacuation of Jewish settlers from Gaza, was called by ultranationalist group Revava, and also attracted thousands of Muslims who came to defend the site from possible attacks. After the protest was banned, Israeli authorities restricted access to the area to Muslim Arab Israelis and East Jerusalem Palestinian Muslims over age 40. Revava has vowed it will try to restage the rally in May.