80,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the revered mosque, despite being subjected to heavy Israeli restrictions [Getty/file photo]
Israeli forces have barred entry to Palestinians seeking to perform prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, as observant Muslims mark the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, sparking outrage.
Israeli soldiers at checkpoints in the occupied West Bank reportedly refused the let worshippers through, claiming that they didn’t carry the right permits or documentation.
The army specifically targeted Palestinians from Jenin and Tulkarem – two West Bank cities that have endured Israeli repeated assaults this year – from traveling on to Jerusalem, despite them carrying the right paperwork.Â
Israeli forces were deployed to checkpoints leading up to the mosque – the third holiest site in Islam and of extreme importance to Palestinian Muslims during Ramadan.
Long lines were seen at the Qalandia checkpoint, located north of Jerusalem, as well as checkpoint 300 south of the city, as West Bank worshippers tried to reach Jerusalem.
Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs the Gaza Strip, condemned Israel’s decision to block Palestinians from reaching the mosque and called for a “firm Islamic stance” that would prevent Israel’s “continuous disregard for the feelings and sanctities of Muslims”, the Turkish Anadolu agency said.
In a statement, Hamas said Israel’s restrictions on Palestinians during the holy Muslim month constituted a “dangerous escalation” and amounted to an act of “religious war”.
The group said Israel’s barring of worshippers from spending the night in prayer at Al-Aqsa “represents a systematic attack on Muslim practices and an intensification of efforts to Judaize Jerusalem and its sacred sites”.
It also called on Palestinians from the West Bank, Jerusalem, and from within Israel to resist Israeli restrictions and to continue their prayers at Al-Aqsa.
Around 80,000 Palestinians attended Friday prayers at the holy site, the Wafa news agency said – significantly lower than last week’s, when 90,000 Palestinians performed the first Friday prayers of Ramadan amid tight restrictions.
Last week, the Israeli government said it would only allow worshippers over the age of 50 and children aged 12 and under.
The restriction on Palestinian presence at the holy site comes as a fragile truce continues in Gaza without being formally extended, and while Israel carries out violent incursions and military operations in the West Bank.
Al-Aqsa has been a longstanding symbol of Palestinian identity, culture, and resistance, and a flashpoint for tensions due to Israeli provocations.
The mosque and its compound have been targeted by Israeli extremist settlers and politicians, in raids and incursions.
High-profile extremists politicians, notably Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have led incursions in recent years at the site. Ben-Gvir has openly prayed at the mosque compound in violation of a long-standing convention which allows non-Muslims to visit the mosque but not pray there.
Some extremist Israelis wish to destroy the mosque and rebuild a Jewish temple which they believe stood at the site in ancient time.
The mosque was also the site of a provocative visit by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2000, which was seen by many as a trigger for the Second Intifada.
The mosque’s name features in the
