Occupation police closed Lions' Gate this Friday morning to Palestinian worshippers heading to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a move aimed at securing a noisy celebratory ritual organized by settlers in the surrounding area. Field sources reported that this closure obstructed the access of hundreds of citizens who tried to attend dawn and Friday prayers.
Sources stated that occupation forces reinforced their military presence by deploying intensive patrols and special unit elements, and imposed a strict security cordon that included all entrances and the vicinity of the Old City in occupied Jerusalem. These restrictions come in the context of what is called the Hebrew anniversary of the occupation of the city, where Israeli authorities seek to provide full protection for settlers at the expense of Palestinians' freedom of worship.
Repressive measures were not limited to Lions' Gate only, but extended to include tightening inspection and scrutiny procedures at the rest of Al-Aqsa Mosque's gates, which led to tightening the noose on Jerusalemites and visitors from within the occupied territories. These practices fall within a systematic policy to change the temporal and spatial reality in the Noble Sanctuary.
Occupation forces deployed patrols reinforced with special forces elements, and imposed a strict security cordon around the Old City.
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Occupation closes Lions' Gate, obstructs worshippers' access to Al-Aqsa Mosque