Police restrict Friday Muslim prayers on Temple Mount

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Amid a heightened security alert, Jerusalem police announced late Thursday that they will be imposing restrictions on Muslim entrance to the Temple Mount on Friday due to the week-long Israeli assault against Hamas in Gaza. All Arab men under the age of 50 will be barred from Friday midday prayers due to security concerns, police said, with only those above 50 with Israeli ID cards, as well as women of any age, allowed into the ancient compound. Police sporadically close off the bitterly contested Jerusalem holy site to younger male Arabs on Fridays during times of high tension, and following multiple alerts over possible violence at the site.