Implementation of 'Safety Restrictions' at Al-Aqsa Mosque During Ramadan

On Thursday, March 9, Israel announced that it would implement 'safety restrictions' at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan. An Israeli government spokesperson emphasized the certainty of enforcing usual public safety restrictions, stating, 'What we cannot accept, and no other country would accept, is that some seek to provoke violence and attack others.' David Menser did not provide details on the plan and restrictions for Muslim worshippers at the mosque during this Ramadan. Israeli security agencies had previously recommended a cap of 10,000 worshippers on Fridays during Ramadan. Last year, amid the Gaza war, Israel also imposed restrictions on visitors and worshippers at Al-Aqsa, particularly for Palestinians from the West Bank, allowing only men aged 55 and older and women over 50 to enter the mosque area. The terrorist Islamist group Hamas, which carried out a massacre of Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, and initiated a devastating war in Gaza, protested Israel's decision to limit Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan and provocatively called on Palestinians from the West Bank and other areas to attend in large numbers and perform I'tikaf at the mosque during Ramadan. Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site for Muslims located in East Jerusalem, sees many Muslim Palestinians visiting for prayers during Ramadan. In previous years, this site has become a flashpoint between Muslims and Jews. Israel's prevention of entry for some European Parliament representatives to Jerusalem and Ramallah, the U.S. Secretary of State condemned the Israeli National Security Minister's visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque area, and the National Security Minister's remarks about Jewish prayers at Al-Aqsa faced widespread global criticism. Israel also closed the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah with a 'military order.'