JERUSALEM, Israel - Israeli police deployed around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City to help thousands of Muslims planning to worship there on the first Friday of Ramadan.

During the Islamic month of Ramadan, which this year began on Wednesday, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking during the day, gathering for an evening meal at sunset.

In an effort to ward off potential trouble makers, men aged 45 to 50 were issued a special permit, while men over the age of 50 may enter the area freely.

The same is true for women aged 45 and older traveling from Arab cities and towns in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) under control of the Palestinian Authority.

Muslim women aged 30 to 45 wishing to worship on the Temple Mount were also issued special permits.

Policemen from other districts will join Jerusalem units to facilitate traffic flow for busses and other vehicles transporting residents of Arab neighborhoods in the eastern sector of the city to parking lots near the Old City.

Police are prepared to quell "any attempt to disrupt order and security," Jerusalem Police chief Aharon Franco said in a statement released on Thursday.