Israel tightens security in Jerusalem’s old city

Israel has deployed additional police forces in the Old City of Arab East Jerusalem and around the Al Aqsa Mosque compound as Muslims from across the occupied West Bank and Israeli Arabs prepare for Lailat Al Qadr, the 27th night of the holy month of Ramadan. The Israeli occupation authorities announced here on Sunday that the Haram Al Sharif Compound, which houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, will be off-limits to non-Muslims during the holiest night of the month of fasting. Paramilitary police on their turn ,ordered motorists to stay clear of the walled Old City and asked commuters to use public transport to avoid congestion. Some 200,000 Muslims from the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as Israeli Arabs are expected to arrive at the mosque compound, Islam’s third holiest shrine, for prayers during Lailat al Qadr.