Israel disperses pro-Aqsa rally in West Bank

Israeli forces fired dozens of teargas canisters at Palestinians demonstrating outside Israel's Ofer Prison in Ramallah.

Israel disperses pro-Aqsa rally in West Bank
Dozens of Palestinians suffered teargas inhalation on Tuesday after Israel forces dispersed a demonstration in the West Bank city of Ramallah held to protest fresh Israeli restrictions barring Palestinians from entering Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli forces fired dozens of teargas canisters at Palestinians demonstrating outside Israel's Ofer Prison in Ramallah.

Protesters responded by throwing stones and empty bottles at Israeli military vehicles.

On Tuesday, some 200 Palestinian protesters converged on the prison following earlier demonstrations in central Ramallah. Both protests were organized by the Popular Committee for the Liberation of Palestine.

Israel recently barred Palestinian worshippers under 50 years old from entering East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

What's more, groups of extremist Jewish settlers – often accompanied by Israeli security forces – have recently been forcing their way on a near-daily basis into Al-Aqsa.

The frequent breaches anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations inside the mosque complex.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.

Anadolu Agency
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