Ramadan clash with Isreali troops in Jerusalem

Hundreds of Palestinians today rioted and clashed with Israeli forces at five checkpoints around Jerusalem after being prevented from entering Israel to mark the Ramadan holy month at Islam’s third-holiest site.

Soldiers dispersed the crowds with stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. At one checkpoint outside Jerusalem, desperate protesters used ladders to scale Israel’s massive concrete separation barrier.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said border policemen made six arrests. No injuries were reported.

The protesters were on their way to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Friday is the weekly holy day for Muslims, and it is considered a special honour to attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa during the current Ramadan holy month.

Israel does not allow Palestinian men under 40 to attend the Ramadan prayers, citing security concerns. Younger men angry about not being allowed into the city threw stones at troops, Ben-Ruby said.

Clashes were reported at five checkpoints around Jerusalem and near Nablus, in the northern West Bank, where some 3,000 worshippers gathered at daybreak to make the long journey to Jerusalem.

At the Aram checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem, people used ladders and rope to scale the 25-foot concrete separation barrier.

Witnesses said about 200 people made it over the barrier, but Ben-Ruby said none of the climbers managed to make it into Jerusalem. Most were thwarted by the concrete and barbed wire, while some were arrested, he said.

Israel has been constructing the barrier along the frontier with the West Bank. Israel says the structure is needed to keep attackers out of the country. The Palestinians condemn the barrier as a land grab because it frequently juts into the West Bank.

Israel has built more than half of the barrier, which is expected to run for 437 miles.