As
Palestinians in Gaza pray in mosque rubble and experience a Ramadan like no
other year, Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are restricted from
entering Al-Aqsa Mosque.
اضافة اعلان
Israeli
authorities restricted tens of thousands of Palestinians on the first Friday of
the holy month of Ramadan from entering the historical Al-Aqsa Mosque in
Jerusalem, arguing that only those who have special permits can enter Jerusalem
and participate in the prayers.
Although
around 80,000 worshippers made it to the holy site despite the tight Israeli
restrictions, thousands more from the occupied West Bank were turned
back and denied entry to occupied East Jerusalem, where a heavy Israeli
security presence surrounded the mosque.
The Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) also strengthened their presence at all military
checkpoints surrounding the Old City, and many other checkpoints were erected
close to Jerusalem, further restricting access to Palestinians.
Approximately
3,000 officers and border police soldiers were deployed on Friday, March 15,
according to Israeli media. Israeli authorities claimed the worshippers did not
"have the required permits" to pray at the Jerusalem holy site amid
continued restrictions on Muslim worship there and pressure from the Israeli
far-right.
“Israeli authorities claimed the worshippers did not "have the required permits" to pray at the Jerusalem holy site amid continued restrictions on Muslim worship there and pressure from the Israeli far-right.”
However,
only men over 55 and women over 50 were allowed to enter the mosque, and all
had to have a valid permit, magnetic card (a security electronic card), and
prayer permit from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
(COGAT), the Israeli defense body in charge of civilian affairs in the West
Bank.
Medical
teams were also prohibited from entering the mosque’s courtyard, including the
Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS), which wished to make it to Al-Aqsa in a bid to
provide medical assistance to worshippers if needed.
Besides,
there were additional restrictions on Palestinians leaving Al-Aqsa as they had
to submit their papers at a checkpoint while leaving Jerusalem or even take a
selfie and submit it on an application managed by the Israeli government.
Police were
also accused of denying many Arab Israelis entry to the site in violation of a
promise made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enable free access
to Muslim citizens.
Netanyahu
pledged earlier that the number of worshipers allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque
in the first week of Ramadan would be the same as in previous years and that no
restrictions would be imposed on Arab Israelis, overruling the reported wishes
of ultranationalist firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Performing
Friday prayers in a mosque is of great significance in Islam, and Friday
prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque draw tens of thousands of worshippers,
particularly during Ramadan.
Al-Aqsa
Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the
Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
For years,
worshipping at Al-Aqsa has been limited to residents of occupied East Jerusalem
and Arab cities and towns in Israel.
Moreover,
Israel has a history of carrying out violence against Palestinian worshippers
at Al-Aqsa and regularly denies them entry to the mosque, even if individuals
have the relevant paperwork, which often forces thousands to pray outside as a
result.
“For years, worshipping at Al-Aqsa has been limited to residents of occupied East Jerusalem and Arab cities and towns in Israel.”
On its part,
the Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Netanyahu of “deceiving the world”
when he said no additional measures would be imposed to limit access to Al-Aqsa
Mosque during Ramadan compared with previous years.
The ministry
said in a statement posted on X that Netanyahu had given Ben-Gvir the freedom
to implement restrictions, including erecting barricades, to prevent the entry
of Palestinian worshippers. The ministry called on the international community
and the US to intervene to end these “racist” policies and ensure that the
right to worship is upheld.
On the other
hand, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its rejection and
strong condemnation of all illegal Israeli occupation measures aimed at
changing the legal and historical status of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by
installing iron barriers in its surroundings, imposing restrictions on freedom
of access to it, and storming it and attacking worshipers in its courtyards, in
flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The
organization reiterated, in a statement, that the city of Jerusalem is an
integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and the capital of the
State of Palestine and that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in its entirety, is a
pure place of worship for Muslims only, and that all Israeli measures and
decisions aimed at imposing sovereignty over Jerusalem and Muslim and Christian
sanctities, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, have no legal effect and are
considered null and void under international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Besides, the
organization held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the
repercussions of these serious violations, calling on the international
community to assume its responsibilities in putting an end to these Israeli
violations that would lead to fueling violence, escalating tension, and
destabilizing security and stability in the region, stressing the need to
ensure respect for the holy places and freedom of worship in them.
Israel
illegally occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967
Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized
by the international community. According to a 1967 status quo agreement with
Israel, Jordan is responsible for overseeing the Al-Aqsa compound via the Waqf
Council.
“Ben-Gvir, who has a history of making inflammatory comments about Palestinians, was reportedly present on Friday in the Old City to "monitor the situation.”
Since the
war on Gaza began on October 7, Israel has imposed near-complete restrictions
on the holy sight, denying thousands of worshippers access to the mosque.
Whereas in
Gaza, Israel has since killed over 31,553 and injured 73,546 Palestinians,
mostly women and children, with atrocities carried out by the IOF in the enclave
being described as akin to genocide.
The war has
pushed 85 percent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute
shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. At the same time, most of the
enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Ben-Gvir,
who has a history of making inflammatory comments about Palestinians, was
reportedly present on Friday in the Old City to "monitor the
situation." He has also repeatedly marched at Al-Aqsa in a bid to provoke
Palestinians and has called for harsh restrictions on Muslim worship at the
holy site.
On Thursday,
March 14, Israel installed iron barricades at three of the mosque’s gates,
triggering condemnation from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan - which
has custodianship over Jerusalem's holy sites - calling the move “dangerous and
unacceptable.’’
Jordan's
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said that restrictions imposed by Israel on
Muslim worshippers' access to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the
Muslim fasting month were pushing the situation towards an
"explosion."
"We
warn that desecrating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque is playing with
fire," Safadi said in a joint news conference with the Vatican's foreign
minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, echoing the Palestinian view that such
restrictions on Muslim worshippers, already facing war and hunger in Gaza, were
an attack on freedom of worship.
Najla M. Shahwan is a Palestinian
author, researcher, and freelance journalist. She has published thirteen books
and a children's story collection and has received two prizes from the
Palestinian Union of Writers.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Jordan News' point of view.
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