Israel restricts access to Al Aqsa mosque
Israeli Police on Friday restricted access to the Al-Aqsa mosque amid tension over the deadly commando raid on the flotilla.
JERUSALEM:
Israeli Police on Friday restricted access to Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque amid tension over the deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld also said that police "are on high alert across the country and particularly in Jerusalem," adding that hundreds of officers were deployed around the Old City.
Only women and men over 40 will be allowed to attend Friday prayers at the mosque compound, he said.
The site is the third holiest in Islam and the holiest for Jews because their Second Temple stood there before the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD. The area has often been the site of clashes in the past.
Tension has been high since Israeli commandos stormed an aid flotilla set up to break the Gaza embargo, killing nine of the activists on board on Monday.
Israeli Police on Friday restricted access to Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque amid tension over the deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld also said that police "are on high alert across the country and particularly in Jerusalem," adding that hundreds of officers were deployed around the Old City.
Only women and men over 40 will be allowed to attend Friday prayers at the mosque compound, he said.
The site is the third holiest in Islam and the holiest for Jews because their Second Temple stood there before the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD. The area has often been the site of clashes in the past.
Tension has been high since Israeli commandos stormed an aid flotilla set up to break the Gaza embargo, killing nine of the activists on board on Monday.