Israel to limit access to Aqsa mosque

[Jefferson23]

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli police said they will limit access for Muslim men to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound during Friday prayers to prevent possible clashes following services.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said on Thursday that men under the age of 50 will be barred from Friday prayers, based on intelligence of plans for unrest, with security forces bolstering their presence in the area.

The decision comes after police clashed with Palestinians at the compound on Tuesday, hours ahead of a debate in the Israeli parliament over a plan to place the holy site under full Israeli jurisdiction.

The discussion, which did not result in a vote or any practical measures, sparked anger in the region, with the parliament of Jordan -- the custodian of the site -- voting to expel Israel's envoy and its premier warning Amman might review its peace treaty with Israel.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=677469

[azurnoir]

1. so only males over 50 will be allowed into al Aqsa

that'll go over well

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. Little by little the Israelies are

taking Palestine by force.

Frankly, taking the mosque will be the Christian fundamentalist's wet dream: signifying the end times in their little minds. They'll appliad Israel when it finally does it.

[azurnoir]

3. well that all depends on how much Israel wishes to keep its truce with Jordan intact

but at this juncture I can not say how much weight that carries

[Jefferson23]

4. Thousands pray at police checkpoints after Aqsa restrictions

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Thousands of worshipers performed Friday noon prayers in front of police checkpoints after Israeli forces imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshipers seeking to access the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The Al-Aqsa Waqf and Heritage Organization said that worshipers who had been unable to enter the area held prayer services in Bab al-Amoud, Wadi al-Joz and the Ras al-Amoud area near al-Aqsa.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers were deployed in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa and dozens of checkpoints were erected while a helicopter hovered over the area, the waqf organization said.

Only a few thousand worshipers managed to enter the compound to pray due to Israeli restrictions announced on Thursday barring Palestinian men under the age of 50 from entering the Aqsa compound, which is a holy site for Muslims.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=677483