Melee at crossing outside Jerusalem

kalandiyeh checkpoint, west bank -- Thousands of Palestinians thronged military checkpoints on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Friday, trying to reach a major Islamic shrine in the city for Ramadan prayers despite an Israeli army closure.

Israeli troops in jeeps, on foot and on horseback were deployed at crossings from the West Bank into Jerusalem to control the crowds trying to reach Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s three holiest sites, before the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close next week.

At the Kalandiyeh 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 a medic. No serious injuries were reported.

Friday prayers at Al Aqsa regularly draw thousands of worshipers, and crowds are bigger than usual during Ramadan. About 135,000 filled the mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday, and prayers ended with no disturbances, police said.

Israel locked down 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 Thursday, but the closure was slated to end tonight, 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, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

More than 3,000 Israeli police were stationed around Jerusalem’s Old City to keep order during the prayers, he said.

At Kalandiyeh, north of Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians, most of them elderly, pushed toward troops controlling access to the passage and argued with police checking IDs.

Maher Walweil, 43, said he left his home in the West Bank city of Nablus at 4 a.m. to get to Jerusalem in time for prayers -- even though he knew the Israeli age restrictions left him little chance of getting in.

“There are a lot of soldiers here. What am I going to do against these soldiers?” he said.