JERUSALEM, Nov 5 (AFP) - The Israeli army on Friday stepped up security in the West Bank town of Hebron, where several thousand Jews were converging to spend the Sabbath, or Jewish day of rest, military sources said.
Security was bolstered in response to the influx of Jewish faithful who were gathering near the sacred Cave of the Patriarchs, where a chapter of the Torah explaining the life of Sarah, wife of Abraham, will be read aloud on Saturday.
Some 20,000 Jews were expected on Saturday at the Cave, which is considered to be a holy site for both Jews and Muslims, military radio reported.
About 600 Jewish settlers live under tight military protection near the Cave, located in the heart of Hebron's Old City.
The Cave, known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi mosque, is home to the tombs of the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, according to both religions.
Israel withdrew its forces from most of Hebron in 1997, under an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, but it continues to occupy the enclave where the 600 Jewish settlers live, surrounded by 120,000 Palestinians.
Israel imposed a clampdown on the West Bank on Friday, barring any Palestinian man under the age of 50 from entering the Jewish state, even with a valid permit. Only women over the age of 35 would be granted entry, an army spokesman said.
11/05/2004 14:21 GMT - AFP