Palestinians crammed at Israeli crossing to observe Laylat al-Qadr in Al-Aqsa

RAMALLAH, PALESTINE (AA): Thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank flocked to an Israeli crossing leading to the city of Jerusalem, to observe Laylat al-Qadr at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday despite the tension in the city and the Israeli restrictions on their entry.

Since early morning, traffic at the Qalandia security checkpoint — located between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah — has remained heavily congested.

The Israeli authorities prevented large numbers of Palestinians from entering Jerusalem for “security” reasons.

The Israeli authorities have stepped up security in and around the flashpoint site, deploying hundreds of policemen and erecting roadblocks at the entrances of Jerusalem’s Old City.

Only men over 50 and children under 12 — along with women of all ages — were allowed by the Israeli army to enter East Jerusalem without entry permits.

Men between the ages of 40 and 50 are required to obtain special permission to enter to Masjid Mosque.

Tensions have been high in the Palestinian territories since Israeli forces entered Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard and attacked worshippers last week.

The situation has been exacerbated by settlers’ daily incursions into the flashpoint site to commemorate the week-long Jewish Passover holiday.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

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.

Amnesty International recently declared Israel guilty of the crime of apartheid against Palestinians.