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Israel has imposed a full closure of the occupied Palestinian territory of West Bank, announcing that no one will be allowed in or out for 48 hours.
Ehud Barak, the Israeli defense minister, made the move amid reports of possible protests by Palestinians around the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem after Friday prayers.
Only women and men over the age of 50 were allowed to enter the mosque, and hundreds of young men prayed at the gates of the Old City after being denied entry.
Clashes erupted last week after Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, announced plans to include two sites in the West Bank on a list of Israeli heritage sites.
Hebron clashes
Besides Jerusalem, skirmishes also broke out after Friday prayers in the West Bank city of Hebron, but no serious injuries were reported.
Last week, the interior ministry announced plans to build 1,600 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the Jerusalem housing committee is planning to build another 50,000 Jewish homes in occupied East Jerusalem to join the hundreds of thousands already there or in progress.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war and built settlements that are illegal under international law.
The occupation has never been recognized by the international community.
Palestinians denounce settlements in East Jerusalem, which they want to make the capital of their future state.
PHOTO CAPTION
Israeli border police officers stand guard as a Palestinian man prays on the street in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud March 12, 2010.
Agencies
