Al-Aqsa Mosque: Israel Lifts Age Ban for Worshippers After John Kerry Visit

Muslim men of all ages are to be allowed to attend weekly prayers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound after months of tension, according to an Israeli police spokesman.

"No age limit on the Temple Mount, we're hoping things will be calm and quiet today," Mickey Rosenfeld told AFP news agency.

The "Temple Mount" refers to the Jewish name for the holy site in the Old City, while Palestinians refer to it as Haram al-Sharif.

Rosenfeld added that "extra police units were deployed in Jerusalem this morning to prevent any incidents in and around the Old City".

The move comes after US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II in Jerusalem to decrease tensions at the site.

Kerry said that Israel and Jordan, who both have rights to the compound, had agreed to "de-escalate the situation" through a series of steps that would "restore confidence".

"We are not going to lay out each practical step, it is more important they be done in a quiet and effective way," Kerry said.

"It is clear to me that they are serious about working on the effort to create de-escalation and to take steps to instil confidence that the status quo will be upheld."

Recently, Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel said that Israel will eventually replace Al-Aqsa Mosque with a Jewish temple.

According to the Middle East Monitor, Ariel told Israeli radio station Kol Berama the status quo could not continue at the Al-Aqsa Mosque as it "was built in the place of the holiest place for Israel".

The site is holy to Jews as the holiest place in Judaism, to Muslims as the third-holiest site in Islam and also to Christians.