Pals access to Al-Qods restricted; Child martyred

By: Ahmad Hammadi

JERUSALEM: Israeli authorities stopped Palestinians from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday prayers, fearing protests by them against a one-month old Israeli decision of permitting Israelis and foreign tourists to visit the site.

Men under the age of 40 were banned by police for prayers from what Jews know as Temple Mount and Muslims as Haram Ash-Sharif, or the noble sanctuary. Heavy police deployment was witnessed around the Muslim quarter in the walled Old City of Holy Qods where the compound is located.

Thursday, a Palestinian officials meeting attended by President Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah condemned the visits to the site.

Separately, the Israeli army said it martyred a five-year old Palestinian child and injured his six- and seven-year-old sister in a mishap on Friday when a burst of bullets was accidentally fired from a soldier's machinegun near a village in the northern West Bank.

Meanwhile, demonstrations are continued for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The protestors called for Washington to use its influence to persuade Israel to free more of their prisoners as Premier Mahmud Abbas began a landmark trip to the US.

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