Israel extends West Bank closure

14/03/2010| IslamWeb

Israel has extended a lockdown on the occupied West Bank and restricted access to the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem as tensions continue over its plans to build new homes for Jewish settlers in mainly Arab east Jerusalem.

Israeli police said access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem would be restricted to men under 50 on Sunday because of "fears of violence".

Police reinforcements deployed around east Jerusalem amid the tensions in the city will remain in place, he said.

'Adding to tension'

Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the West Bank, said the extension of the closure will only add to the frustration there and lead to more clashes.

"This closure brings the tension to the surface. There are more soldiers so there is more friction," she said.

On Saturday Israeli troops clashed in the West Bank with Palestinian women and youths protesting against the settlement plans.

Two Israelis were slightly injured on Saturday night when a petrol bomb was hurled at cars on a highway linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, police said.

Restrictions have been enforced since March 5 when police battled Muslim protesters at the mosque after weekly prayers.

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.

An announcement from the interior ministry that plans to build 1,600 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem had been approved also contributed to the tensions.

PHOTO CAPTION

Palestinian protesters run for cover as Israeli soldiers fire tear gas in their direction during a demonstration against the expansion of the Jewish settlement of Bracha, south of the West Bank city of Nablus.

Al-Jazeera