In pictures: Women pray at Al-Aqsa Gates
The Israeli police which are still stationed at Al-Aqsa Gates are still imposing a blockade on the Mosque by closing its gates and controlling the entrance of Muslims in terms of men and young men and also completely preventing women from entering. The Israeli police took a new step in an attempt to silence the “free voice – women voice” inside Al-Aqsa and prevented all women from entering since the Dawn Prayer until 3 p.m. which are also the times when settlers carry out their break-ins through Dung Gate under the so-called “foreign tourism” program. The police took this step against women after nearly a month of preventing them from entering Al-Aqsa from 7 until 11a.m. While the women were gathered at the open gates of Al-Aqsa (Hutta, Al-Silsileh and Al-Majles Gates), they were assaulted and sprayed with pepper gas and were also verbally assaulted; note that Bayan Iblasi from Lod was arrested while being present at Al-Aqsa Gates. The women were forces to hold the Dawn and Noon Prayers at Al-Aqsa gates. The forces also arrested a young man when the settlers broke into Al-Aqsa and an old man while he was present at one of the Gates. They are: Mahmoud Abu Basal from Tamra and Khaled Tallouza from Nazareth. In a related matter, the police released Salah Mahameed from Um Al-Fahem and Abdullah Shami from Maker after arresting them on Tuesday under the pretext of inciting riots inside Al-Aqsa during the settlers’ break-ins and they were ordered to be isolated from Al-Aqsa for 15 days.
