¡¡¡¡BEIJING, Nov. 1, (Xinhuanet) -- Israel yesterday limited access to a disputed shrine for special Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, setting off an angry scuffle. In a separate development, the United States offered a US$5 million reward in the investigation of a deadly bombing of a US convoy.

¡¡¡¡About 175,000 Palestinians flocked to the sacred hilltop plaza in Jerusalem for Ramadan prayers, while others were turned away at army checkpoints. Control over the site, revered by Muslims and Jews, is one of the most hotly contested issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

¡¡¡¡Israel has been enforcing a strict travel ban in the past three years of fighting, preventing most Palestinians from reaching Israel.

¡¡¡¡Fearing youths would provoke clashes with Israeli forces during Ramadan prayers, police were only allowing older, married Palestinians to pray at the Jerusalem site yesterday - men had to be older than 45, and women at least 35, said Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby. Police set the quota at 4,000 from the West Bank and 1,000 from the Gaza Strip.

¡¡¡¡No age restrictions were imposed on Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

¡¡¡¡The Jerusalem compound overlooks the narrow alleys of the ancient walled city. A trip there in October 2000 by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - then Israel's opposition leader - to demonstrate Israeli claims to the site set off days of rioting that widened into the current fighting.

¡¡¡¡The plaza of mosques is the third holiest place in Islam and is revered as the site where the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven. It was also the site of the two biblical Jewish temples destroyed by invading armies.

¡¡¡¡In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, soldiers prevented a few hundred worshipers from entering Jerusalem and some tried to push and shove their way through. Troops fired a stun grenade, setting off a loud blast. One Palestinian was reported lightly injured.

¡¡¡¡Asked about the scuffles at the Bethlehem checkpoint, the military said that Palestinian officials in the city had not provided lists of names of worshippers, preventing soldiers from allowing people past checkpoints. The army said soldiers needed to screen lists for possible security risks.

¡¡¡¡In another development yesterday, the US Embassy in Tel Aviv said the US State Department was offering a US$5 million reward for information that helps find those behind the roadside bomb attack that destroyed a US diplomatic vehicle and killed three American security guards.

¡¡¡¡Meanwhile, in a speech in Tel Aviv on Thursdaay night, Sharon said he was ready to negotiate with the new Palestinian prime minister at any time.

¡¡¡¡Israel previously indicated it would not talk with the new Palestinian government led by Ahmed Qureia because that Cabinet was too closely associated with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

(Shanghai Daily/AP)