Israel lifts Muslim age limit at Jerusalem shrine

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2015/10/23/israel-lifts-muslim-age-limit-at-jerusalem-shrine/

JERUSALEM (AP) — For the first time in weeks of escalating violence, Israel allowed Muslims of all ages to enter Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site to perform Friday prayers in an apparent bid to ease tensions.

Earlier Friday, a Palestinian stabbed a soldier in the West Bank and was shot by troops, Israel’s military said. The soldier and the Palestinian — a 16-year-old, according to Israeli media reports — were wounded and evacuated to hospitals.

It was the latest incident in a round of violence that began in mid-September.

Ten Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings. Forty-eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 27 said by Israel to be attackers and the rest in clashes.

Tension around the Jerusalem shrine, a 37-acre hilltop platform revered by both Muslims and Jews, has been one of the triggers of the current violence.

Widespread Palestinian perceptions that Israel is trying to expand its presence at the Muslim-run site have led to clashes there that quickly spread to other parts of Jerusalem, as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israeli has repeatedly denied it is trying to change long-standing understandings under which Jews are allowed to visit, but not pray at the shrine. Israel has accused Palestinian political and religious leaders of lying and inciting to violence.

Palestinians say their fears have been fueled by a rise in visits to the shrine by Jewish activists demanding prayer rights, including senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.

Netanyahu met Thursday in Berlin with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to find ways to ease tensions over the holy site. Kerry is also expected to hold talks in Jordan this weekend with King Abdullah II, the custodian of the site, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The hilltop compound is a frequent flashpoint and its fate is a core issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It is the holiest site in Judaism, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, once home to their biblical Temples.

Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary and believe it is the spot where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is the third holiest site in Islam and houses the Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques.

Friday’s lifting of age restrictions on Muslim worshippers appeared to be part of an Israeli attempt to ease tensions. Over the past few weeks, Israel had barred younger Muslims — seen by police as the main potential trouble-makers — from entering the compound. Muslims view age restrictions as part of the perceived Israeli attempt to step up its control.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Friday that age restrictions were lifted after security assessments.

Meanwhile, barriers and checkpoints that Israel set up last week on the outskirts of Arab neighborhoods of the city remain in place. Israel’s Cabinet had approved the movement restrictions to try to stem a wave of recent stabbings. Many of the attackers come from traditionally Arab east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally.

The barriers have caused traffic jams and severely disrupted the daily lives of many of the city’s more than 300,000 Palestinian residents, prompting complaints of collective punishment.

According to U.N. figures released Friday, Israel set up 38 obstacles, including 17 manned checkpoints, 20 road barriers and one earth mound in nine neighborhoods. The count was conducted Wednesday, the U.N. said.

Rosenfeld said many obstacles have been removed, mentioning an easing of restrictions in at least two neighborhoods, but did not give figures.

Elsewhere, Israeli troops this week placed concrete blocks in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, near Rachel’s Tomb, a Jewish holy site where hundreds of faithful are expected for a pilgrimage Saturday night.

A loop of Israel’s West Bank separation barrier encircles Rachel’s Tomb, located on the edge of Bethlehem, and places it on the “Israeli” side of the barrier.

The military said the new concrete blocks were put up near the site to keep away Palestinians who have thrown rocks and firebombs at Israeli forces in the area in recent weeks.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.