Israel Continues Jerusalem Restrictions for Fourth Friday of Ramadan

Worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the lastFriday of Ramadan in 2006 [Ma'anImages]

5 October 2007

Jerusalem – Ma'an – Israeli authorities deployed thousands of police in Jerusalem while continuing restrictions on Palestinian worshipers' access to the city on the fourth Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli officials said police and soldiers would guard the entrances to Jerusalem, as well as checkpoints along the Israeli separation barrier near Bethlehem and Ramallah.

The Associated Press reported that thousands of Palestinians had thronged checkpoints by midmorning. Israeli forces used stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

While Thousands of Palestinians attempt to reach Jerusalem each Friday during Ramadan, hoping to worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel allows only those who meet strict criteria to enter. Among Palestinians living in the West Bank, access is limited to men over the age of 45 with a special permit, or over 50 without a permit. Women over 35 with a permit, and all women over the age of 40 are allowed.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in the Islam, and a locus of deep religious and political significance for Palestinian Muslims in particular. A visit bty then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the mosque in September 2000 sparked the Second Intifada.