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UPI
- More than 3,000 Israeli troops fought with scores of Palestinians in
Jerusalem Friday as they attempted to enter the city's Al-Aqsa mosque,
witnesses said. The Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported that witnesses
said fistfights took place between the two forces as the Israeli
military attempted to keep the Palestinian citizens from entering the
site for the first Friday of Ramadan.
While the troops did allow Palestinians older than 50 years old into the
historical site, younger visitors weren't allowed to enter the mosque's
courtyard. The Israeli government had previously said it would
facilitate entry to those wanting to enter the mosque and offer prayers
for the Islamic holiday.
Islamic Palestinian authorities said 40,000 arrived at the mosque to do
just that, while Israeli sources estimated that 90,000 had made the
journey to the Jerusalem site. KUNA said that many of those involved in
Friday's events had journeyed to Jerusalem from the West Bank on Islamic
movement buses.
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