By Esat Firat
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli police have dispersed dozens of Palestinians protesting the closure of all the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem after an attempted knife attack.
The Israeli police prevented the Palestinian protesters from gathering in front of Lion's Gate (Bab Al-Asbat) for isha (night) prayer.
Police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd but later allowed a few Palestinian officials in for night prayer.
The closure came after an alleged knife attack at the Al-Majlis gate.
Later, hundreds of Palestinians performed the evening prayer at the Al-Asbat gate of the compound after police closed all the gates.
Israel has made closing the doors of the mosque a regular occurrence, Al-Aqsa Mosque director Sheik Omar Kiswani told Anadolu Agency
“These are very dangerous steps. It is an obvious evidence of dirty Israeli aims to close the Al-Aqsa to the Muslim worship,” he said.
Kiswani said Arab and Muslim countries ignoring events around Al-Aqsa Mosques and Palestine were responsible for what happens there.
Israeli police closed Al-Aqsa twice in the past 30 days.
