PA warns against Israeli restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of Ramadan

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a warning yesterday regarding Israel’s proposed new restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque and its vicinity in Jerusalem’s Old City ahead of Ramadan.

The ministry condemned Israel’s measures to limit access to the mosque compound, calling them a blatant infringement on Palestinian people’s fundamental rights to freedom of worship and unrestricted entry to religious sites. It also emphasised that these restrictions are part of the ongoing occupation regime’s aggression against the Palestinian people and a deliberate attempt to alter the political, historical and legal status quo in the occupied territories, especially at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Such actions, added the ministry, pave the way for dividing the holy site, or even demolishing it, to make way for a Jewish temple. It vowed to take action on the international stage to shed light on Israeli violations targeting both Christian and Islamic holy sites, as well as the worshippers and staff who serve them. The ministry also called for urgent international intervention to safeguard these sites and uphold Palestinians’ right to religious freedom.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Six Day War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.

The International Court of Justice declared in July last year that Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. All of Israel’s settlements and settlers are classed as a war crime under international law.

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