Heavy snow blankets Jerusalem

By Turgut Alp Boyraz

JERUSALEM

Jerusalem was hit by heavy snowfall on Friday, leading to the closure of public transportation, schools and universities.

Schools across Jerusalem were closed after the holy city was blanketed by some 25 centimeters of snow. 

Roads leading to Jerusalem were blocked while traffic inside the city came to a standstill as municipal workers tried to clear snow from the streets.

Despite the harsh weather conditions, thousands of Muslim worshipers attended Friday prayers at East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Hundreds performed prayers in the mosque's snowy courtyards as both the Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques were packed by worshipers.

After prayers, Palestinian youths snapped pictures of themselves in front of the snow-covered mosques while children hurled snowballs in the mosque compound.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming all of Jerusalem as its capital in a move never recognized by the international community.