Yerushalayim Police Out in Force Over Shavuos

Police in Yerushalayim have completed their preparations for Shavuos, police said in a statement Monday. Thousands of officers will be stationed throughout the city in order to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in a week which will see tens of thousands of visitors to the city. Along with Shavuos, l’havdil, the Muslim community is commemorating Ramadan, and police said they would work to ensure the safety of all residents and visitors participating in religious events.

Large numbers of police will be on duty Tuesday night, as hundreds of thousands will recite Tikun Leil Shavuos. The Kosel and the Old City are expected to be especially crowded during the night and daytime, and police will be stationed in these areas to ensure the safety of the crowds.

In order to alleviate possible problems, police will close off the path leading from Shaar Shechem (the Damascus Gate) to the Kosel. Visitors to the Kosel will be able to use the other routes at the Jaffa Gate (via the Jewish Quarter or the Shuk) or the Shaar Haashpot. In addition, police will direct those leaving the Kosel area to avoid Hagai Street, a street on the border between the Muslim and Jewish Quarters that has been the scene of numerous terror attacks.

On Motzoei Chag, Wednesday night, police will close several major arteries, including Shamgar, Hartom and Bar-Ilan Streets, to private traffic, permitting only buses and taxis to use the streets. The purpose, police said, is to ensure that the many visitors to the city will be able to leave quickly, safely, and efficiently.