JERUSALEM, 10 March. - (ANA) - Since the beginning of 2026, the Jerusalem Governorate has documented more than 260 orders forcibly barring Palestinian worshippers from the Al-Aqsa mosque.

 

As Ramadan started, Israel imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied West Bank's city of Jerusalem, notably barring persons under 55 years of age. Those permitted entry were subjected to searches, detention, and sometimes denied entry by Israeli soldiers.

 

Moreover, when the Israeli-US war against Iran began on Saturday morning, February 28, Israeli security forces sealed Al-Aqsa entirely, preventing anyone from entering, including the mosque's staff and guards.

 

The closure was accompanied by strict military measures, such as closing the gates of the Old City, deploying a large number of Israeli police officers, and erecting iron barriers to restrict the movement of Palestinians, all under the pretext of declaring a state of emergency.

 

To circumvent the Israeli restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem since the beginning of Ramadan, Subhi Awad, 45, disguised himself as an elderly man in an attempt to enter the mosque and pray. But he was caught.

 

Then, last Friday, Awad and dozens of other worshippers tried to reach the mosque despite knowing it was completely closed. They decided to attempt to reach it but were surprised by the barriers and iron barricades erected at the Lions' Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, Jaffa Gate, and New Gate.

 

"We tried to reach the closest point to [Al-Aqsa], coming from different neighborhoods of Jerusalem. We thought they would at least allow us to enter the Old City, but we were completely prevented and forced to pray in the street. We spread out our prayer rugs on the ground and began praying in front of hundreds of heavily armed police officers, feeling deeply saddened," he told The New Arab.

 

This scene is frequently repeated in Jerusalem, where Israel imposes successive restrictions on worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, particularly during Ramadan each year. Before the start of this year's Ramadan, Israel issues unprecedented orders barring dozens of worshippers, including women, from the mosque.

 

"Ramadan isn’t the same when we’re away from Al-Aqsa. We don't feel the month is complete while the mosque is closed. The Old City and the mosque are the very soul of Ramadan in Jerusalem," added Awad.

 

The complete closure is the culmination of complex Israeli measures against worshippers. They are barred from entering the mosque without cause, based on arbitrary selection of their names. They are also threatened with expulsion if they express their opinions on social media, and they are subjected to strict surveillance by the Israeli police and intelligence services.

 

Since the beginning of 2026, the Jerusalem Governorate has documented more than 260 orders forcibly barring Palestinian worshippers from the mosque without any justification. These orders are issued for six months and are renewable.

 

Furthermore, Israeli authorities summoned Palestinian religious figures from Jerusalem, arresting some. Just a few days ago, the mosque's preacher, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, was interrogated despite his illness and advanced age, and threatened with arrest. 

 

"The closure has nothing to do with the security situation, as most aspects of life continue as normal. The closure is a prelude to complete Israeli control over Al-Aqsa, and this is merely a pretext to keep us away from it and accustom us to its continued closure," Awad argued.

 

 

 

 

After the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel imposed its control over the mosque while maintaining the Islamic Waqf administration, in what became known as the "status quo”.

 

Since the 1990s, fundamentalist Jewish groups have begun entering its courtyards under police protection, and in 2003, Israeli authorities officially permitted settlers to storm the mosque's courtyards through the Mughrabi Gate for specific hours.

 

Over the years, the number of extremist Jewish attacks into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound increased.

 

In 2019, some were permitted to perform silent prayers within the courtyards. Then, in 2021–2022, Israeli court rulings were issued, which many considered a step toward expanding Jewish prayer at the site, sparking recurring tensions surrounding the mosque.

 

The continued closure of the mosque raises Palestinian fears that Israel is justifying it under the guise of emergency and public safety measures. However, observers consider it a pivotal step, culminating a long history of Judaization attempts and paving the way for a different reality.

 

Abdullah Marouf, a researcher specialising in Al-Aqsa Mosque affairs, told TNA that with the mosque's closure, the temporal division of Al-Aqsa has become a reality, a fact Israel had already established before the closure.

 

He explained that Israel added an hour for settler incursions during Ramadan, meaning that the temporal division is now a reality, with nine hours allocated for Jews and nine hours for Muslims, and the mosque closed at night to both.

 

"The complete closure now has implications far beyond temporal division. It's clear that Israel is trying to establish itself as the sole administrative authority, replacing the Islamic Waqf Department at Al-Aqsa," he added.

 

The danger is no longer related to dividing the mosque, but rather to the idea of ??changing its administration, a step towards eliminating the role of the Islamic Waqf Department, as he said.

 

At the beginning of Ramadan, Israel summoned the head of the Waqf Council, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, to the al-Qishla police station. When he refused to comply, Israel immediately closed all files related to Ramadan that are usually coordinated with the Waqf Department.

 

They completely prevented the delivery of Iftar and Suhoor meals, prohibited the erection of tents and umbrellas in the courtyards for worshippers, and prevented the preparation and equipping of the only Al-Aqsa clinic that served worshippers during Taraweeh prayers.

 

"If we link these policies with the current closure of the mosque, it becomes clear that we are facing a definitive Israeli plan to designate the Israeli police as the sole and direct administrators of the mosque, replacing the Islamic Waqf. The next step would be to redraw the map of the mosque by allocating spaces for settlers, allowing them to bring in their belongings such as tables, chairs, and papers," Marouf explained.

 

According to the researcher, this issue led to the dismissal of the former Israeli police chief in Jerusalem and the appointment of a new police chief for the Jerusalem district, a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The previous chief was dismissed in December for refusing to allow settlers to bring in these tools for fear of an explosion of violence at Al-Aqsa.

 

The extremist Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, immediately decided to dismiss him.

 

"All of this is perfectly in line with the plan currently before the Knesset to place all religious sites in Israel under the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. This means that, given that Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered a holy site for Jews according to the Israeli perspective, it can be directly placed under the authority of the official Israeli Rabbinate. All the steps being taken on the ground are moving in this same direction," he concluded.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/10 March 2026 - - -