Israel restricts Palestinians’ access to Al-Aqsa Mosque on 1st Friday of Ramadan

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH (AA) - Israeli authorities imposed restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

On Monday, the Israeli army said that “during the Fridays throughout the month of Ramadan, worshippers from Judea and Samaria (the Torah name for the West Bank) will be allowed to enter Jerusalem subject to possessing a valid magnetic (security) permit and assessing the security situation.”

The army added that only male worshippers aged over 55 and women aged over 50, as well as children under the age of 10, will be allowed entry.

On the first Friday of Ramadan, Israeli authorities tightened restrictions at their military checkpoints between the West Bank and Jerusalem, which included turning back the majority of Palestinians and preventing them from accessing the city, according to Anadolu correspondent.

There was active movement at Qalandia crossing northern Jerusalem and the Checkpoint 300 southern the city, with Palestinians gathering at entry gates from the West Bank toward Jerusalem.

Dozens of Palestinians, barred from entry, gathered in front of the checkpoint, waiting for another chance for Israeli soldiers to allow them entry.

Since dawn hours, dozens of soldiers and Israeli police and border guards have been deployed at the checkpoint.

Rania Abu Safiya, a 48-year-old Palestinian from Ramallah, said Israeli authorities prevented her from entering Jerusalem, citing that she was below the allowed age for entry.

“We wait for Ramadan every year to enter Jerusalem and pray. Today we were prevented due to imposed restrictions,” she added.

She questioned indignantly: “We came only to pray, where is the freedom of movement and freedom of worship? We are prevented from accessing the holy sites during the month of worship.”

Abu Safiya accused Israel of “trying to empty the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem of Muslims in an attempt to impose a new reality and control over them.”

Elderly Sadiq Fiel, 71, from the town of Hawara near Nablus, told Anadolu after being denied entry to Jerusalem: “They turned me away under the pretext of not having a magnetic card (a security electronic card) and a prayer permit.”

“At this age, I'm asked for a permit, where are the facilitations? This is an Israeli policy aimed at preventing Palestinians from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque under the pretext of security,” he added.

Fiel emphasized: “Al-Aqsa is a creed and a part of every Muslim's entity,” adding: “This is the first year I am prevented from entering Jerusalem during Ramadan. I feel as if I've been slapped.”

At Checkpoint 300 in Bethlehem southern the West Bank, the situation is repeated, according to an Anadolu photographer, as the majority of Palestinians are prevented from entering Jerusalem under various pretexts related to age and lack of permits.

Sheikh Ahmad Mahamid, 65, told Anadolu: “I was prevented from entering the checkpoint and reaching the city of Jerusalem under the pretext of not having a permit.”

"Usually, elderly people enter without permits, but today they are imposing strict security measures and preventing us from accessing Al-Aqsa,” he said.

Mahamid continued: “This is absurd and a revenge against the Palestinian people. They want to prevent access to Jerusalem and monopolize it.”

Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, police have closed all checkpoints around East Jerusalem to residents of the West Bank.

Israel launched its war on Gaza after a Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas. It has since killed more than 31,300 Palestinians and pushed the territory to the brink of famine.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while most of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul