The epidemic is also coming to Bethlehem and Jerusalem

In Jerusalem

In Israel, the holy places close or are deserted by the faithful. On March 5, the Palestinian Authority declared a state of emergency in and around Bethlehem, and closed the Basilica of the Nativity as well as the other churches and mosques. In the old city of Jerusalem the silence is heavy. Tourists and pilgrims are an endangered species. Friday, a day of prayer for Muslims, the alleys usually crowded with Palestinians rushing toward the esplanade of the Mosques did not experience their usual animation. " There were almost no people on the esplanade and the prayer was held inside al-Aqsa, some wore masks, " said a participant. The entrance to the third holiest site in Islam, also revered by Jews under the name of Temple Mount, was screened by Israeli security forces. The authorities had at the time reduced to five thousand the number of people who could participate in a

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