Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon condemned the violent riots which have plagued the capital city since the middle of last week in an interview with 103 FM Radio.
"We are doing everything to calm the situation down and stop this violence. All we want now is quiet," the mayor said.
Leon noted that the wave of violence began following "acts we saw on 'Tik-Tok' and then reactions from the other side, along with the month of Ramadan which is a sensitive month, along with orderly actions actually taken by the police at the Damascus Gate, as tens of thousands of worshipers arrive at the Temple Mount and leave the Temple Mount any time."
Leon condemned the demonstration by the right-wing Lehava organization, which he said only further fanned the flames and prevented the situation from calming down.
"I tried to prevent this protest with the police, but according to the police it could not be canceled because it was a legal protest," the mayor said.
He said, "The protest was completely unnecessary. It was definitely the core of the violence on both sides that evening. Too bad, just too bad, both painful and unnecessary."