Thousands gather at Wailing Wall for priestly blessing
Jerusalem, Oct 12 (EFE).- Thousands of Jewish worshippers Wednesday flocked to Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall for the traditional priestly blessing event, as security forces have been put on high alert.
The ceremony, known as Birkat Hakohanim, takes place twice a year, during the Jewish holidays of Sukkot and Passover.
In the prayer, clerics with the surname Cohen – descendants of Aaron, the older brother of Moses – bless those praying in front of the Wailing Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.
Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed across the Old City of Jerusalem, amid a flareup in violence in the area.
A police spokesman said that Israeli forces stepped up their presence to maintain order and security during the event at the Wailing Wall and throughout the surrounding area.
On Tuesday, Palestinians fired at a group of Israeli soldiers, killing one person. That incident comes after the death of another Israeli soldier during a shooting in East Jerusalem on Saturday.
Some 115 Palestinians, including unarmed civilians such as Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, have been killed by Israeli forces or during raids and clashes in the West Bank this year, making it the deadliest since 2015.
The most recent was a 12-year-old boy, who died on Monday after he succumbed to the wounds he sustained during a military incursion in the West Bank city of Jenin last month.EFE
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