JERUSALEM: Israel will restrict some access for Muslim worshippers to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque during the upcoming Ramadan holy month according to security needs, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday.
Hamas, Israel’s main enemy in the Gaza war, denounced the proposed restrictions and called on Palestinians to mobilize against them.
Al-Aqsa, one of the holiest sites in the world for Muslims, sits on a hilltop in Jerusalem’s Old City at a location also revered by Jews as the site of their temples of biblical times. Rules about access to the site have been a frequent source of tension, particularly during holidays including Ramadan, which begins this year on or around March 10.
Asked about the possibility of blocking access for Israeli Muslims to Al-Aqsa, Netanyahu’s office said: “The prime minister made a balanced decision to allow freedom of worship within the security needs determined by professionals.”
It gave no further details.
Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right coalition partner in Netanyahu’s government, said those who hate Israel would use the event to show support for the Hamas leadership and incite violence.
“The entry of tens of thousands of haters in a victory celebration on the Temple Mount is a security threat to Israel,” Ben Gvir said.
Hamas called the proposed restrictions “a continuation of Zionist criminality and religious warfare led by the extremist settlers group in the terrorist occupation government against our Palestinian people.”
The group called on Palestinians in Israel, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank to “reject this criminal decision, resist the occupation’s arrogance and insolence, and mobilize to stand firm and steadfast in Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Israel to set security limits on Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
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Israel to set security limits on Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
- “The entry of tens of thousands of haters in a victory celebration on the Temple Mount is a security threat to Israel,” Ben Gvir said
Lebanon foreign minister declines Tehran visit, proposes talks in neutral country
- Lebanon’s foreign minister Youssef Raji cited ‘current conditions’ for the decision not to go to Iran
Lebanon’s foreign minister Youssef Raji said on Wednesday he had declined an invitation to visit Tehran for now, proposing instead talks with Iran in a mutually agreed neutral third country, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
Raji cited “current conditions” for the decision not to go to Iran, without elaborating, and stressed that the move did not mean rejection of dialogue with Iran. He did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for additional comment.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had extended the invitation last week, seeking talks on bilateral ties.
Raji said Lebanon stood ready to open a new phase of constructive relations with Iran, on the condition that ties be based strictly on mutual respect, full recognition of each country’s independence and sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs under any pretext.
In an apparent reference to calls to disarm Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed movement allied for decades to Iran, Raji added that no strong state could be built unless the government held the exclusive right to hold weapons.
Hezbollah, once a dominant political force with wide influence over the Lebanese state, was severely weakened by Israeli strikes last year that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. It has been under mounting domestic and international pressure to surrender its weapons and place all arms under state control.
In August, Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani visited Beirut, warning Lebanon not to “confuse its enemies with its friends.” In June, Foreign Minister Araqchi said Tehran sought a
“new page” in ties.
