Israel bars Palestinians from Jerusalem Old City

Israel took the rare and drastic step of barring Palestinians from Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child. The restrictions will be in place for two days, with only Israelis, tourists, residents of the area, business owners and students allowed, police said. Worship at […]

Israel took the rare and drastic step of barring Palestinians from Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child.
The restrictions will be in place for two days, with only Israelis, tourists, residents of the area, business owners and students allowed, police said.
Worship at the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound will be limited to men aged 50 and above. There will be no age restrictions on women, and worshippers will be allowed to enter through one specific gate.
The Palestinian government denounced “Israeli escalation” after the announcement of the ban, which Israeli Public Security Minister GiladErdan called unprecedented.
Some 300,000 Palestinians live in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where the Old City is located.