Palestinians face mounting bans from Al-Aqsa as Israel tightens control

The restrictions began after Israeli police detained Sabri in August 2024 over a sermon in which he mourned Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel. Sabri told Al Jazeera that the latest extension was the fifth time Israeli authorities have issued an exclusion order against him. He described the decision as unjust, illegal, inhumane and uncivilised, saying it was intended to silence those speaking out about Al-Aqsa.

Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam and a Palestinian national symbol. Under a longstanding status quo, the Islamic Waqf manages Muslim religious affairs while Israeli police oversee security and access. Far-right Jewish religious activists have increasingly been allowed to pray at the site under police protection, going against the status quo and opposition from ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious authorities.

Ibrahim al-Natsheh, who was released by Israeli police earlier this month after a week in detention, said he has lost count of the exclusion orders he has received. He was arrested while attending funeral prayers for his cousin at Al-Aqsa. “The orders banning us from the mosque provide no specific reason; they simply cite ‘disturbing the peace’, even though we are there solely to pray,” al-Natsheh told Al Jazeera. He said the restrictions began about nine years ago following an Israeli crackdown on Islamic study circles at the mosque, with students, teachers and activists associated with the activities facing arrests and exclusion orders.

Ma’rouf al-Rifai, an adviser to the Jerusalem Governorate, told Al Jazeera that during recent Jewish holidays, Israeli restrictions on Muslim worshippers had intensified, including closing the mosque for periods and preventing noon prayers on at least one occasion. He said the Islamic Waqf Department faces mounting constraints, with fewer than 15 guards now on duty during the morning shift, compared with approximately 50 previously. “Settler incursions have undergone a shift over the past three years; they now include Jewish prayers and religious rituals, the raising of Israeli flags, and attempts to bring in sacrificial offerings,” al-Rifai said. He warned of efforts to alter the status quo, including demands to allow Jewish visitors into the compound on Saturdays and an Israeli police recruitment drive for volunteers to escort incursions.

Al Jazeera sought comment from Israeli authorities but received no response.