Israel turns it into an ordeal to cross to Jerusalem to pray in the saddest Ramadan. At the Qalandia military checkpoint, officers turn elderly people around every so often.
Hundreds of women wait for hours for their luck to change. Israel has only granted 10,000 special permits for the three million West Bank residents to pray at the Esplanade of the Mosques, the most important place in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Some drivers have a field day with the restrictions, offering seats in their car or minibus.