Tens of thousands of Muslims flocked to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan for noon prayers, which passed peacefully despite concerns about a repeat of violence that erupted during the holy month last year. From early morning, residents of cities such as Bethlehem and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank lined up at Israeli checkpoints to visit Al-Aqsa. After two years of Covid restrictions, Israel has allowed some Palestinians from the West Bank who hold a travel permit to enter Jerusalem.
“We thought they (Israel) won’t let us enter due to the last escalation, but thank God everything is ok,” said Hussein Abayat from Bethlehem. “Al-Aqsa is the most valuable thing we have, we do everything in our power to visit it and the rest is up to God.”
Last year saw nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police during the fasting month. Threats of Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem and police raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque helped ignite an 11-day Israel-Gaza war that killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in a 1967 war, later annexing it, in a move not recognised internationally.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.