03/09/2010 Tens of thousands of Muslims poured into the heavily guarded Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem for the last Friday prayers of Ramadan as Palestinians protested over newly re-launched so-called peace talks.
Israeli police put the number of worshippers at 160,000 to 170,000, while Muslim authorities said it exceeded 200,000.
In his Friday sermon Sheikh Yusef Abu Sneineh criticized the re-launch on Thursday of Middle East peace talks in Washington, saying "these negotiations are a joke."
He went on to accuse Israel of seeking normalization with the Arab and Muslim world while "continuing its colonization" of the occupied West Bank through the building of Zionist settlements.
In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of people attended a rally in honor of Al-Quds Day. Senior officials from Hamas and other Resistance factions called for more armed "resistance" following twin attacks by the Resistance group in the West Bank that killed four settlers ahead of the talks.
"Jerusalem will not be liberated by negotiations but by jihad and resistance," senior Hamas official Ismail al-Ashqar told the crowd, adding that it was a "crime" to participate in such talks.
"As in previous weeks, the police deployed 2,000 men around the mosque. They have not interfered, and the prayer has taken place with the utmost calm," Israeli police spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby said.
As with past Fridays, Israel limited access to the compound to men over the age of 50, women over the age of 40 and children, and only granted visiting permits to a limited number of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.
220 thousand worshipers attend the Friday prayers at the Aqsa Mosque
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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