40,000 Muslims Perform Friday Prayers at Al-Aqsa Amid Tight Israeli Security Measures

TEHRAN (defapress)- Thousands of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Arab villages inside the occupied territories performed Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

News ID: 76057

Date: 08 March 2019 - 20:41

Local sources said 40,000 Palestinians managed to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday amid tight Israeli security measures, adding that the Israeli authorities prevented hundreds of West Bank Palestinians from entering Jerusalem to perform Friday prayer, Middle East News reported.

Israeli authorities stepped up security in and around the flashpoint religious site, deploying thousands of police and setting up roadblocks near the entrances of Jerusalem's Old City.

Dozens of worshipers prayed in Bab al-Rahma area which was opened by the Palestinians two weeks ago following 16 years of Israeli closure. Other worshipers performed Friday prayer at al-Asbat Gate in protest at Israeli orders banning dozens of Awqaf officials and Aqsa guards from entering al-Aqsa Mosque for different periods, according to Palinfo.

Al-Aqsa preacher called in his sermon on all Palestinians to visit al-Aqsa Mosque frequently and protect it from the Israeli aggressions.

Al-Aqsa Mosque Director Sheikh Omar Kiswani told Anadolu Agency that, despite the additional security measures, an estimated 40,000 Palestinians had performed weekly prayers at the site on Friday.

“Since morning, thousands of people have poured into the mosque compound,” he said.

Speaking from occupied East Jerusalem, Al-Jazeera's Harry Fawcett said so far there has been a "relatively calm atmosphere".

"There are expressions of solidarity for the 140 people who have been barred access to the compound, among them senior scholars of the Waqf - the Islamic trust that runs the compound in cooperation with the Jordanian government," he added.

The Israeli police at dawn Friday launched large-scale raids in Jerusalem arresting dozens of Palestinian activists and notables.

Tension has mounted in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa compound’s Al-Rahma Gate, located adjacent to the Eastern wall of the Old City, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations.

In the weeks since, the Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians --- including religious officials --- from entering the Al-Aqsa, which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina.

The campaign followed calls on the Palestinians to flock to al-Aqsa Mosque in large numbers and perform Friday prayer there in protest at the latest expulsion orders.

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