JERUSALEM

Israeli authorities have planned to restrict Muslims' access to al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers during the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a well-known Muslim scholar and former grand mufti of Jerusalem said in an interview with Anadolu.

Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, former grand mufti of Jerusalem and head of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, expressed regret for the Israeli administration's plan to restrict access to the third-holiest mosque for Muslims during Ramadan, which begins midweek.

Israel's ill intentions were clear when Maj. Gen. Avshalom Peled was appointed as a new police commander in occupied East Jerusalem in the first week of January, a move seen as an attempt to advance plans by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote, "It seems Ben-Gvir is doing everything he can to fan the flames."

“Muslims welcome Ramadan with optimism, following the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, who used to welcome the month at the end of Shaaban,” Sheikh Sabri told Anadolu. “But regarding Jerusalem, we regret the harsh measures the occupying authorities will impose on Muslims coming to Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

He said: “Israeli authorities have already barred dozens of young men from entering the mosque and announced that they will not ease restrictions during Ramadan for worshippers arriving from the occupied West Bank.”

“This means there will be tighter restrictions,” Sabri said. “The number of worshippers at Al-Aqsa will be lower than in previous years. This contradicts freedom of worship and disrupts Muslims’ observance of the fasting month.”

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank usually travel to occupied East Jerusalem during Ramadan to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque.

However, since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have tightened restrictions at military checkpoints, limiting West Bank residents’ access to Jerusalem.

Over the past two years, only small numbers have received Israeli army-issued permits, which Palestinians say are difficult to obtain. Authorities have not announced any special arrangements for Ramadan this year.

In recent days, Israeli authorities also issued temporary orders against hundreds of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem—most of them young men—banning them from entering al-Aqsa during Ramadan. Some of the orders extend up to six months.

The measures come as Israel’s right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, faces criticism from Palestinian officials over what they describe as changes to the long-standing “status quo” at the site.

However, local police have unilaterally allowed Israeli extremists to forcibly enter the mosque compound since 2003, despite repeated demands by the Islamic Waqf Department to stop the incursions.

“There is no doubt the right-wing government aims to implement its aggressive plan regarding al-Aqsa Mosque,” Sabri said. “For years, they demanded public entries, open prayers, the use of ritual horns, and prostration. What were once hidden ambitions have now become public.”

He added: “We have long warned that Israel seeks to impose sovereignty over the site and reduce the Islamic Waqf’s authority.”

However, Israeli measures are not limited to al-Aqsa Mosque. They also extend to Palestinian neighborhood demolition in the occupied East Jerusalem in general, and especially those near the mosque.

“The demolition policy is a racist, unjust, illegal, and inhumane policy, and it is an extension of Britain’s unjust policy in Palestine during the period of British colonial rule,” he lamented.

Sabri urged Arab and Islamic peoples to extend help to Palestinians in Jerusalem and called on Arab and Muslim leaders to shoulder their responsibilities toward Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque.

*Writing by Lina Altawell