After violence at a holy site, Prime Minister Netanyahu claims the defense minister and security officers unanimously endorsed the decision.
After a wave of rioting in Jerusalem’s holy city, Israel has banned Jews and tourists from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
The holy complex, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), their third-holiest site, and to Jews as the Temple Mount, the most sacred place in Judaism, will no longer be open to non-Muslim visitors until after Ramadan, which is anticipated to end around April 20.
Israeli authorities repeatedly raided the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque last week. At least 12 Palestinians and more than 400 others were detained on the first night.
The raids prompted Israeli air and artillery raids in response to rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and Syria.
Following a meeting with Israel’s senior security personnel, a statement from Netanyahu’s office was released. According to the report, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, Herzi Halevi, Ronen Bar, the director of the Shin Bet, and Kobi Shabtai, the chief of police, all unanimously endorsed the prohibition.
In a statement from his own office, Gallant reaffirmed the security chiefs’ unanimity.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu gave security services the go-ahead to use all necessary force to protect the Western Wall so that Jews might continue to worship there outside of the compound. In the Jewish religion, the wall is a sacred location and a place of prayer. Buraq Wall is how Muslims refer to it.
Palestinian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the ban, which Israel has previously enforced.
increased tension
Palestinian rage has grown as a result of the rise in ultranationalist Jews visiting the compound and the many raids by Israeli security forces, which have occurred within the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s prayer hall.
In a statement, he stated, “We must strike back with great force when terrorism strikes us, not submit to its whims.”
The Times of Israel quoted him as saying that the ban would also result in a reduction in the number of Israeli police officers stationed at the location, “creating fertile ground for massive demonstrations of incitement to murder Jews and even a scenario in which stones will be thrown at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall.”
Ben-Gvir has frequently invaded the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which the Palestinians have referred to as “deliberate provocation.”
Since the beginning of 2023, there have been approximately 100 Palestinian deaths as a result of the rising violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Ramadan and the Jewish Passover fell during this time, which increased tensions in the Holy Land.
