Palestine News Network (PNN) : "Thousands of worshippers crowd Old City markets and Al Aqsa Mosque for night of prayers " par Maisa Abu Ghazaleh

Thousands of worshippers crowd Old City markets and Al Aqsa Mosque for night of prayers

17.09.09 - 11:43

Jerusalem / Maisa Abu Ghazaleh for PNN – Much of the night in Jerusalem was filled with thousands of visitors from the city and the West Bank.

It was Laylat al-Qadr, the night that comes toward the end of Ramadan during which families pray together for hours. Al Aqsa Mosque was full, as were the markets of the Old City.

Buses had brought in congregations from Palestinian towns within Israeli boundaries, while cars came from Jerusalem neighborhoods. West Bank residents who were able to pass checkpoints managed by public transportation.

A Bethlehem resident said she was mistreated at a checkpoint in Beit Jala, but insisted on worshipping in Al Aqsa. Thousands of people attempted to reach East Jerusalem through the checkpoints for this night of prayer. Israeli forces within the vicinity of the Old City of Jerusalem imposed checkpoints and closed the main streets.

In the courtyards of the mosque the ground had been covered with worshippers beginning at noon. The director of the Waqf, Sheikh Azzam Al Khatib, said that they were providing 150,000 meals for those fasting for Ramadan.

A number of people were treated by the Union of Arab Aid Workers for fainting and fatigue as a result of stressful travel, heat, long hours and overcrowding.

The Imam delivered verses from the Qur’an and then issued a call to save Al Aqsa Mosque from Israeli excavations and settlement, while he added prayers to lift the siege on Gaza, to liberate prisoners, and to unify the Palestinian people.

At nearby Shu’afat Refugee Camp youth threw stones at Israeli forces that fired gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. A similar scenario played out at Qalandiya Checkpoint that blocks Ramallah from northern Jerusalem.




http://english.pnn.ps/index?option=com_content&task=view&id=7000

Les articles et autres textes publiés ne reflètent pas obligatoirement les opinions du Comité Justice et Paix en Palestine et au Proche-Orient (CJPP5), qui dénie toute responsabilité dans leurs contenus, lesquels n'engagent que leurs auteurs ou leurs traducteurs. Nous sommes attentifs à toute proposition d'ajouts ou de corrections.
Le contenu de ce site peut être librement diffusé aux seules conditions suivantes, impératives : mentionner clairement l'origine des articles et autres textes, le nom du site et/ou du journal, ainsi que celui des traducteurs.