Israelis injure Palestinian worshipers

Palestinian women queue to cross an Israeli-controlled checkpoint in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on August 19, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194666.html

Several Palestinians have been injured after Israeli forces attacked a group of Palestinian youth as they tried to cross Israeli-controlled checkpoints into East al-Quds (Jerusalem.)

Palestinians were heading towards the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to attend the third Friday prayers in the holy month of Ramadan when they were attacked.

Israeli troops used water cannons to disperse the crowd and made several arrests, AP reported.

Since the beginning of Ramadan, Tel Aviv has restricted Palestinian access to the holy site for the Friday Prayers, allowing only Muslim men aged between 45 and 50 into the complex. Any Palestinian from the West Bank under the age of 35 has been denied entry.

This is not the first time that Israel has limited Palestinian access to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the Friday Prayers.

On several occasions, Israel has also attacked Palestinian worshippers inside the compound using tear gas, stun guns and rubber bullets.

Al-Aqsa is one of the holiest sites in Islam. It has been the scene of violent clashes between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli troops in the course of the occupation of Palestinian territories by the Tel Aviv regime.