JERUSALEN: A senior imam of the Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem said Tuesday that Israeli authorities have barred him from entering the compound, just days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"I have been barred from the mosque for a week, and the order can be renewed," Sheikh Muhammad al Abbasi told AFP.
He said he was not informed of the reason for the ban, which came into effect from Monday.
"I had only returned to Al Aqsa a month ago after spending a year in the hospital following a serious car accident," Abbasi said.
"This ban is a grave matter for us, as our soul is tied to Al Aqsa. Al Aqsa is our life."
The month of Ramadan, during which Muslims observe a fast from dawn to dusk, is expected to begin this week.
During the holy month, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al Aqsa – Islam's third holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
On Monday, Israeli police said they had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
Police did not specify whether age restrictions would apply.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate however said it had been informed that permits would again be limited to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year's criteria.
It added that Israeli authorities had prevented the Islamic Waqf – the Jordanian run body that administers the site – from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week leading up to Ramadan.
Under long standing arrangements, Jews may visit the Al Aqsa compound – which they revere as the site of the first and second Jewish temples – but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to upholding this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
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