Entry to Temple Mount restricted

JERUSALEM, July 27 (UPI) -- Palestinians under 40 are not being allowed to enter Jerusalem's Temple Mount because a protest is scheduled at the religious site after Friday prayers.

Police began restricting entry after receiving information that demonstrators are planning a rally to protest Israel's offensive in Lebanon, Ha'aretz reports.

Security forces have taken up positions around Temple Mount and inside Jerusalem's old city in advance of the planned demonstrations. In deciding to limit entry to the shrine, police sources say Temple Mount is a place of worship and not a stage for mounting political protests.

It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.