Despite Israeli restrictions, thousands of worshippers head to Al-Aqsa mosque for first Friday prayer of Ramadan

Date: 14 / 09 / 2007 Time: 10:05

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

Thousands of Muslim worshippers headed for the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Friday at dawn for the first Friday of Ramadan of the Islamic year 1428, as Israel tightened security measures around the Holy City.

It is expected that thousands of worshippers will come from all over the Palestinian territories as well as the 1948 lands inside the Green Line.

The official for civil affairs in the Palestinian Authority, Hussein Sheikh, announced the Israelis will give permission to the worshippers to pray in the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan. They will also remove some of the checkpoints to facilitate Palestinian freedom of movement between cities in the Palestinian territories, he added.

He also said the Israelis have decided to release dozens of Palestinian prisoners during the first week of Ramadan. The decision comes as a result of the last meeting between Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.

International campaign to lift restrictions on visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque kicks off

[ 13/09/2007 - 11:42 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

An international campaign to lift the Israeli occupation government's restrictions imposed on Palestinians wishing to visit occupied Jerusalem and the holy Aqsa Mosque has been launched to demand freedom of access into the holy site for all Palestinians.

The bureau of national institutions and the campaign of life for Jerusalem said in a joint press conference on Wednesday in the holy city said that all international bodies, human rights societies and religious leaders in the world should assume their role and pressure Israel into allowing Palestinian Muslims to frequent the holy site without restrictions.

They said that the Israeli occupation authority's decision to bar hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from offering their prayers in the Aqsa Mosque and other places of worship in occupied Jerusalem in the holy month of Ramadan was in violation of the right of worship.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.