Chaos as Palestinians try to get to Jerusalem for prayers
(5 Oct 2007) SHOTLIST Palestinian side of "300 crossing" between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, West Bank 1. Wide of hundreds of Palestinians gathered at crossing 2. Mid of soldier on jeep blocking way for people to pass 3. Wide of people standing opposite soldiers 4. Zoom-out from soldiers pushing people back 5. Old man arguing with soldier 6. Mid of people arguing with soldiers 7. Mid of people passing through checkpoint 8. Mid of woman in crowd shouting 9. Mid of soldiers pulling old woman from crowd to jeep 10. People and soldiers helping people who fell on ground 11. Soldiers helping women getting up 12. Soldiers gathered around Palestinian man; soldier pouring water over his head 13. Soldier pushing man 14. Soldier helping woman down from jeep 15. Wide of crowd gathered at checkpoint Palestinian side of Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, West Bank 16. Soldiers holding man walking trough barriers; soldiers leaning on police barriers 17. Soldiers standing opposite crowd; few people passing 18. Mid of soldiers standing opposite crowd 19. Mid of soldier pushing man 20. Mid of soldier holding club shouting 21. Pan left to crowd at checkpoint 22. Soldiers pushing men and shooting in the air, UPSOUND gunfire 23. Smoke rising near people, UPSOUND gunfire 24. Various of soldiers pushing people at checkpoint STORYLINE Thousands of Palestinians thronged military checkpoints on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Friday, trying to reach a major Muslim shrine in the city for Ramadan prayers despite an Israeli army closure. Israeli troops in jeeps, on foot and horseback were deployed at crossing points from the West Bank into Jerusalem to control the crowds trying to get to the Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan draws to a close next week. At the southern "300 checkpoint" near Bethlehem, Palestinians, many of them elderly, pushed up against Israeli police lines set up near the separation barrier, causing few people to fall on the ground. Soldiers shouted at people to get back, allowing only a small number to pass through the crossing. At the Qalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem, harried troops waved clubs, shouted and occasionally used stun grenades as tempers flared and frustrated Palestinians surged toward the roadblock. One elderly man fainted, and was treated by an army medic on the scene. No serious injuries were reported. Friday prayers at Al Aqsa regularly draw thousands of worshippers, and crowds are bigger than usual during Ramadan. Around 135,000 filled the mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday, and prayers ended with no disturbances, police said. Israel clamped a closure on the West Bank last week, barring Palestinians from entering Israel, citing concern of possible attacks during the seven-day Jewish festival of Sukkot. The festival ended on Thursday, but the closure was slated to end only Saturday night, the military said. Despite the closure, Israeli police had orders to let in West Bank men over the age of 50 and women over 40, an Israeli police spokesman said. More than 3,000 Israeli police were stationed around Jerusalem's Old City to keep order during the prayers, he said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
