Israel Prevents Hundreds of Palestinians from Entering Al-Aqsa Mosque Again
Israeli police stopped worshipers from the West Bank at checkpoints at entrances to the Old City in Jerusalem al-Quds and allowed only a very small number of them to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque after identity checks.
The Palestinians, who were prevented from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque, performed Friday prayers on the streets near the Old City. The Israeli police erected checkpoints at the entrances to the Old City in the morning, the Daily Sabah reported.
Al-Aqsa Sheikh imam Yusuf Abu Sneina denounced in the Friday sermon "the repeated prevention of worshipers from reaching the mosque."
"It is not permissible under any circumstances to continue preventing worshipers from reaching the mosque to perform prayer," Abu Sneina said, adding that this is the fourth consecutive Friday that the residents of the West Bank have been prevented from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque.
About 12,000 residents of east Jerusalem al-Quds and Palestinians living in Israel performed Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque amid strict measures, according to local estimates. Israel requires residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to obtain special permits in order to enter Jerusalem al-Quds or pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israel captured the West Bank during the 1967 war, better known as the Six-Day War. Since then, more than 700,000 Israelis have moved into settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem al-Quds.
The Palestinians want to form an independent state comprised of all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem al-Quds. The annexation of West Bank settlements would infuriate the Palestinians and Israel's Arab neighbors and eliminate any lingering hopes of establishing a viable Palestinian state.
There are also concerns that an Israeli push to promote tourism to Al-Aqsa could heighten tensions, as the Jewish state does not have sovereignty over the holy shrine, which is governed by the Jordanian Islamic Waqf. The hilltop esplanade in the Old City, home to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the iconic Dome of the Rock shrine, is the third holiest site in Islam. It is also the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the location of two biblical temples in ancient times.
