First Friday of Ramadan sees tight security, restrictions at Al-Aqsa
JERUSALEM
Israel will allow some Muslims over 50 and their children from the occupied West Bank to visit Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Fridays during Ramadan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has announced.
The statement said that the government has adopted a security recommendation to allow only a limited number of worshippers from the West Bank to enter the mosque starting on March 7, following the same mechanism used last year.
Under the new restrictions, only men over the age of 55, women over 50 and children under 12 will be permitted to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"It is emphasized that there is no limitation regarding Israeli Arabs," the statement added. March 7 marks the first of the Muslim fasting month.
Ahead of prayer, Israeli forces reinforced their presence at checkpoints in the occupied West Bank leading to Jerusalem, thoroughly inspecting Palestinian IDs and denying entry to many on the grounds of lacking special permits.
Israel deployed around 3,000 personnel, including Border Police officers, in Jerusalem on March 7, the police said.
Security in Jerusalem has been tightened to “prevent attempts by hostile elements to exploit the days of the Ramadan month for incitement, disorder, terrorism or any form of violence,” the police added.
This year, Ramadan coincides with a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which has largely halted fighting after a devastating war and discussion on the reconstruction of the Palestinian territory.
The Muslim world will be asked to throw its weight behind an Arab counter-plan to U.S. President Donald Trump's widely condemned proposal to take over war-torn Gaza at an emergency meeting on March 7.
Foreign ministers from the 57-member Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will meet at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, three days after the Arab League endorsed Egypt's alternative plan for Gaza.
