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Following two days of clashes between local Palestinian residents and Israeli forces in East Jerusalem, Israeli police are preparing for two further potential flashpoints today.

Violence erupted on Wednesday morning and has subsequently continued, especially in the Shuafat and Beit Hanina neighbourhoods following the murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khedir. Police are considering a number of possible motives for the murder, but there are fears that it may be an act of revenge for the murder of three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were discovered this week.

The violence continued yesterday with one Israeli police officer injured after an estimated 200 locals threw rocks and firebombs in Shuafat, where Abu Khedir lived. Rioters also blocked roads and damaged the city’s light railway system, which was running a reduced schedule. There were also reports of clashes in Issawiyah and in Silwan, situated just outside the Old City.

Israeli police are preparing a large presence at the Temple Mount area this morning, where the al-Aqsa Mosque is situated. The Temple Mount has often been a flashpoint and this morning will be the first Friday prayers of Ramadan and the first since the killing of Abu Khedir. The police will reportedly restrict access to the Temple Mount to women and men over 50 in an attempt to minimise the chances of unrest. Nonetheless, a very large crowd is still expected.

Meanwhile, later this afternoon, Abu Khedir’s funeral is expected to take place in Shuafat after an autopsy on his body was completed yesterday. Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that “hundreds of police units will be in and around Jerusalem to oversee the procession and prevent any incidents from taking place.” A source inside IDF Central Command told the Jerusalem Post that the “main goal is to restore stability on the ground” and noted that the violence in Jerusalem had not spread to the West Bank, commenting “I hope we are able to maintain that.”