Israel to impose Ramadan access restrictions on Al-Aqsa, former mufti warns

Israeli authorities are preparing to impose significant restrictions on Muslim worshippers seeking to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, according to former Jerusalem Grand Mufti Sheikh Ekrima Sabri. In an interview with Anadolu, the head of the Supreme Islamic Council expressed deep regret over what he characterized as "harsh measures" that contradict the spirit of the fasting month and infringe upon fundamental religious liberties.

Systematic Restrictions and Exclusion Orders

Sabri revealed that Israeli authorities have already barred dozens of young men from entering the mosque compound and announced they will not ease entry restrictions for worshippers traveling from the occupied West Bank during Ramadan, traditionally a period when hundreds of thousands make the journey. "This means there will be tighter restrictions," Sabri stated. "The number of worshippers at Al-Aqsa will be lower than in previous years. This contradicts freedom of worship and disrupts Muslims' observance of the fasting month." Recent days have also seen Israeli authorities issue temporary exclusion orders against hundreds of East Jerusalem residents—predominantly young men—prohibiting them from accessing Al-Aqsa for periods extending up to six months.

Political Context and Status Quo Concerns

The appointment of Maj. Gen. Avshalom Peled as police commander in occupied East Jerusalem in early January signaled Israel's ill intentions, according to Sabri, advancing far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's long-standing agenda regarding the flashpoint site. "There is no doubt the right-wing government aims to implement its aggressive plan regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque," Sabri said. "For years, they demanded public entries, open prayers, the use of ritual horns, and prostration. What were once hidden ambitions have now become public." Since 2003, local police have unilaterally permitted Israeli extremists to forcibly enter the compound despite repeated objections from the Islamic Waqf Department. Sabri also condemned the ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem as a "racist, unjust, illegal, and inhumane policy" inherited from British colonial rule.

Call for Muslim World Action

The former mufti urgently appealed to Arab and Islamic peoples to extend support to Palestinians in Jerusalem and called upon Muslim leaders to shoulder their responsibilities toward protecting the third holiest site in Islam from what he described as systematic Israeli attempts to impose sovereignty and diminish the Islamic Waqf's authority over the sacred compound.