Israel rejects far-right plan for new restrictions on access to major mosques
Israel’s government has decided not to impose new restrictions on access to a key mosque in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a move that could ease tensions in a place that has long been a flashpoint for unrest.
At a meeting on Tuesday evening led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, security officials decided to allow a similar number of worshipers to enter the Aqsa Mosque grounds during Ramadan as in previous years, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said. Ramadan, the start of which is linked to the sighting of the crescent moon, is expected to begin in a few days.
Israel has long restricted access to the complex, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, for Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank during Ramadan. This year, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Minister of National Security, called on the government to also impose restrictions on Arab citizens of Israel.
Tuesday’s decision put an end to the plan promoted by Mr. Ben-Gvir, but it did provide some wiggle room. “There will be a weekly assessment of the security and safety aspects; a decision will be taken accordingly,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The mosque complex has regularly been the scene of violent clashes. Confrontations on the ground in May 2021 contributed to the outbreak of an eleven-day war between Israel and Hamas.
As Ramadan approaches and the current war between Israel and Hamas enters its sixth month, fears of escalation on the ground have increased. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that if a ceasefire is not reached during Ramadan, “it will be very dangerous.”
Mansour Abbas, an Arab-Israeli member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, praised the decision. “I congratulate the Prime Minister on the responsible decision to allow freedom of worship to Muslim worshipers at Al Aqsa Mosque,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
However, Mr Ben-Gvir expressed concern that the decision would undermine Israel’s efforts to destroy the militant group Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7. “Hamas celebrations on the Temple Mount = complete victory,” he wrote on X, using the name used by Jews to refer to Al Aqsa.
Hamas previously condemned all Israeli restrictions on worship at Al Aqsa. On Monday, a Hamas leader called on Palestinians to turn the mosque into a place of confrontation.
Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem must “turn every moment of Ramadan into a clash and confrontation with the enemy to protect Al Aqsa,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas leader based in Beirut, told a conference by video of Muslim scholars.
According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven from the site of Al Aqsa, and tens of thousands of Muslims visit the mosque every day during Ramadan. For Jews, the area is revered as the Temple Mount because in ancient times it was the site of two Jewish temples that remain central to Jewish identity.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg reporting contributed.