IDF blocks Aksa mosque to Palestinians

Taken from The Jerusalem Post, Sep 14, 2007
Article by the Associated Press,


Hundreds of Palestinians thronged two major West Bank checkpoints, trying to reach the Al Aksa mosque in Jerusalem on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, despite Israeli restrictions.


Palestinians pray at the separation barrier at the Kalandiya checkpoint near the West Bank town of Ramallah, Friday

IDF troops turned back many of the West Bank faithful. Only men above the age of 45 and women above the age of 35, who had also obtained special permits, were allowed to enter the mosque, the third holiest shrine of Islam, said police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby.

Later Friday, several tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them Jerusalem residents not affected by the restrictions, participated in the Al Aksa service, and the crowd dispersed peacefully.

Hundreds of Israeli police were deployed in streets and alleys in and around Jerusalem's walled Old City where the Al Aksa Mosque compound is located.

Troops also took up positions at two major West Bank checkpoints, one to the south of Jerusalem and one to the north. The checkpoints are built into Israel's West Bank separation barrier, which rings most of Jerusalem to control Palestinian movement into Israel.

At the southern checkpoint, near the biblical town of Bethlehem, hundreds of Palestinians, many of them elderly, pushed up against police lines set up near the separation barrier, in this area a towering wall.

At one point, the crowd pushed through the police line. One woman crawled on her hands and knees, another fell to the ground as people behind her surged forward. IDF troops shouted at people to get back.

At the northern Kalandiya crossing, near the city of Ramallah, hundreds of people waited to pass.

Hamdi Abu Fadi, 44, was turned back because he didn't meet the age requirement. Abu Fadi said he'd try to sneak into Jerusalem in another area, in hopes of reaching Al Aksa. Prayers performed at the shrine are considered more powerful than worship in another mosque.

Palestinians have long complained that Israel is violating their right to freedom of worship by restricting access to a major shrine. "It's a crime against us all year long, whether during Ramadan or any other month," said Abu Fadi.

Israel says it imposes the restrictions to prevent possible attacks by terrorists. Ramadan is a time of heightened religious fervor which security officials fear could increase the motivation for carrying out attacks.

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What kind of democracy occupies a foreign land and prevents its citizens from praying within its own land? Well you don't need me to spell it out! What next, Israel occupies the whole of Arabia for security reasons? Get real and leave all occupied land and work for peace & love with neighbouring countries (and fellow citizens) not tyranny!