Israel bars 133 Palestinians from Al-Aqsa in February

By Hamdi Yildiz</p> <p>JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli authorities banned 133 Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque in February, according to a report by a Palestinian non-governmental organization.</p> <p>In its latest report, the Jerusalem-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center said Sheikh Abdul-Azim Salhab, who heads the Jerusalem Endowment Council, and Sheikh Najeh Bkerat, deputy director of Muslim Endowments and Al-Aqsa Affairs, were among those prevented from entering the mosque compound. </p> <p>On Sunday, Salhab was banned from entering Al-Aqsa for 40 days, while Bkerat was barred for a four-month period.</p> <p>The bans were announced a week after Israeli police briefly detained both men after raiding their homes in Jerusalem. </p> <p>Some 229 people were also arrested in the same month, according to the report. </p> <p>Tensions have mounted in Jerusalem since late last month, when Israel sealed the mosque compound’s Al-Rahma Gate, located adjacent to the eastern wall of Jerusalem’s Old City, sparking angry demonstrations by Palestinians. </p> <p>For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Jews refer to the area as the &quot;Temple Mount&quot;, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times. </p> <p>Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

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