Israel To Restrict Visitors To Temple Mount
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Tensions rose in Jerusalem on Wednesday after Israel’s government said it would impose restrictions on the access of Palestinians to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of East Jerusalem during the Muslim month of Ramadan amid “security needs.”
The Al-Aqsa compound, seen as the third “holiest” site in the world for Muslims, sits atop a hill in the Old City. The site is also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the planned restrictions on access to the site despite expected frictions, especially around religious holidays such as Ramadan, which will begin about March 10 this year.
Government ministers said the policy would include limiting the access of Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria to the Temple Mount during Ramadan.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) foreign affairs department condemned the proposal.
It added that the world is “leading towards the declaration of a religious war.”
Israel cites “security concerns” as the main reason behind the move after it was attacked on October 7 by Hamas, which it views as a terrorist organization.
Some 1,200 people died, and about 250 others were kidnapped in the worst recorded atrocities against Jews since the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah.
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