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Palestinians cross Israeli checkpoints for Ramadan Aqsa prayers

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Palestinians in the West Bank have to pass through Israeli checkpoints to get to occupied East Jerusalem [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
Published On 29 Apr 2022

Occupied West Bank – Ramadan represents a rare opportunity for the 2.5 million Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to visit and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

While Palestinian Jerusalemites and those with Israeli passports can access Al-Aqsa at any time, those in the occupied West Bank are only allowed to enter the city with a difficult-to-obtain military permit outside of Ramadan.

During the Muslim holy month, Israel allows some West Bank Palestinians to enter the city to pray at the mosque, which lies in the Old City.

While women of all ages are allowed to enter without a military permit on Fridays this Ramadan, only men over 50 or boys under 12 years old are given a similar privilege.

Men and boys who do not fit those criteria have to apply for a military permit with no guarantee of obtaining one, or find other ways to enter.

A total of 60,000 Palestinians holding West Bank IDs were allowed to enter the city on the first and second Fridays of Ramadan, according to Israeli officials.

Palestinians must wait long hours in overcrowded checkpoints to reach the city.

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Palestinians crossing Checkpoint 300, an Israeli checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan, April 8, 2022 [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
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Residents often leave their homes in the early morning hours in order to claim a spot in the long lines that develop as a result of the lengthy searches Israeli forces conduct [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
israeli checkpoints
The majority of Palestinians entering Jerusalem do so through three main checkpoints: Qalandiya, between Ramallah and Jerusalem, for residents of the northern West Bank; Checkpoint 300 between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, for residents of the south; and Zaitouna in al-Ezariya to Jerusalem’s east [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
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Checkpoint 300 serves as the main entry point for thousands of Palestinians from the southern occupied West Bank cities of Hebron and Bethlehem [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
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Israeli forces allowed Palestinian women of all ages to enter without a military permit on Fridays this Ramadan [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
israeli checkpoints
Israel announced this year that Palestinians from the West Bank who met the criteria for entry on Fridays would also be allowed in for a single additional day on Wednesday April 27 [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
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While a small number of Palestinians living in the besieged Gaza Strip usually receive permits for Ramadan and Easter, Israeli authorities issued none this year, according to the United Nations [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
Palestinians wait at a checkpoint in Bethlehem
The last Friday of Ramadan was the final opportunity for Palestinians who met the restrictive entry criteria to enter occupied East Jerusalem [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
Palestinians waiting at the Qalandiya checkpoint
Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank face severe restrictions if they want to travel to Al-Aqsa during the rest of the year [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
Palestinians wait at the Qalandiya checkpoint to get into Jerusalem
Many Palestinians live only a few miles away from Al-Aqsa but are unable to travel to the site, which is a Palestinian national symbol [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]