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Israel Bars all Palestinians after Tel Aviv Attack
[An Nahar] Israel temporarily barred Paleostinians from entering Israeli territory Friday, a step criticized by the U.N. but which officials said was because of a shooting which killed four people in Tel Aviv.An army spokeswoman told AFP that crossings to Israel from the West Bank and Gazoo Strip would be closed for Paleostinians in all but "medical and humanitarian cases." She said the closure would remain in force until midnight on Sunday. The measures came during the first Friday of the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, when tens of thousands of Paleostinians visit the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem to pray. A spokeswoman for COGAT, the defense ministry unit which manages civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank, said about 10,000 Paleostinians were allowed to visit al-Aqsa despite the ban. The worshipers had to return home after Friday prayers, the spokeswoman said. Paleostinian men between 12 and 35 were not allowed to enter the mosque, with those between 35 and 45 needing permission and those older than 45 having unrestricted access, police confirmed. Passage was unrestricted for women. Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Islamic Waqf which administers al-Aqsa, said 100,000 people attended Friday prayers, down from more than 200,000 the year before. Police declined to give a specific figure, giving an estimate of tens of thousands. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet on Thursday and announced a slew of measures against Paleostinians after Wednesday's shooting in a popular Tel Aviv nightspot, the deadliest attack in a months-long wave of violence. Posted by: Fred 2016-06-11 |
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