Jerusalem welcomes Ramadan with security measures, restrictions on prayer, and soldiers on top of the Dome of the Rock

35 thousand performed Tarawih prayers on the second night of Ramadan 1445 AH (Al Jazeera)

Occupied Jerusalem -

Jerusalemites did not wait for the first day of Ramadan to discover the occupation’s measures hidden for them to hinder their religious activities, because the occupation authorities began to restrict them from the first night of the holy month.

In the vicinity of the Old City of the Holy City, an intense deployment of occupation forces was observed, as the soldiers used special electric bicycles to speed up their movement, and moved between Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and Sultan Suleiman Streets to Damascus Gate and vice versa.

In front of the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque, iron barriers and heavily armed forces were waiting for the worshipers, and when hundreds of them arrived at the doors, the words “Go back to your home” were also waiting for them.

The occupation forces reinforced their presence at the gates of Old Jerusalem and the gates of Al-Aqsa and checked the identities of passers-by (Al-Jazeera)

Harassment and attacks

While a few thousand prayed the Isha and Tarawih prayers in the Noble Mosque on the first night, dozens of young men performed the prayer in front of the doors, and they were not spared from being assaulted and trying to disperse and expel them, while about 35,000 were able to perform the Tarawih prayer again on the nights of the holy month.

On the morning of the first day of the holy month, over the course of 4 hours, 275 extremist men and women stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, who were free to roam and perform biblical rituals. A number of soldiers with their weapons mounted the Dome of the Rock during Tarawih prayers on the second night.

In contrast, Muslims were denied the freedom of worship that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed he would secure in the holiest months of the year.

The elderly Jerusalemite, Muhammad Hassan, told Al Jazeera Net that the Blessed Mosque had never before witnessed the presence of small numbers of worshipers on the first day of Ramadan, as was the case during the noon prayer, and he attributed this to the occupation measures aimed at intimidating Jerusalemites and discouraging them from reaching the Old City and Al-Aqsa.

He added that the procedures were noticeably tightened at the doors the day before Ramadan, as the occupation forces stationed at the doors deliberately arrested worshipers and checked their personal identification numbers before allowing them to enter or forcibly returning them. The severity of the procedures escalated before the evening prayer when men under the age of forty were prevented from crossing the iron barriers. And the policewoman.

In the vicinity of the mosque, although the merchants deliberately opened the doors of their shops early in the hope that the passage of worshipers would contribute to reviving the purchasing movement with the advent of the holy month, the situation prevailed.

Fences over the fence

As for the most prominent and dangerous violation, it was recorded in the Lions' Gate area, when the occupation forces - since the morning hours - began installing barbed wire on the historic wall of Jerusalem adjacent to the gate through which worshipers enter.

Director of the Jerusalem Center for Economic and Social Rights, Ziad Al-Hamouri, said - at the beginning of his speech to Al Jazeera Net - that no one should ignore that the Israeli measures in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City are not new, but rather are repeated before the advent of the month of Ramadan every year.

But he added that these measures escalated and took a more dangerous turn after the outbreak of the war on October 7, as the Old City and the streets surrounding it were heavily militarized, and people were prevented under the name of emergency law from reaching the first qibla.

Light commercial movement in the Holy City on the first day of Ramadan (Al Jazeera)

Escalation is possible

Despite the Israeli Prime Minister's attempts to evade and circumvent the statements of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Al-Hamouri believes that, according to the restrictions that took place on the first night of Ramadan, the numbers of worshipers who will succeed in reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque will be small, suggesting that attacks will likely escalate, which will inevitably inflame the situation. .

He said, "If the situation remains as it is now, of preventing worshipers from reaching this holy place (Al-Aqsa Mosque) and provoking them at its gates, this will not only inflame the situation in Jerusalem, but the situation will explode on a level that may include the Arab world, and this is what America feared and warned about." from him".

It is noteworthy that a statement was issued by Netanyahu’s office days before the advent of the holy month, stating that entry of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque will be available during the first week of Ramadan, as was the case in previous years, without giving further details.

Occupation police mounted the roof of the Dome of the Rock with weapons while performing Tarawih prayers pic.twitter.com/qYRCsxXllt

- Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) March 11, 2024

Weekly check up

This statement came after Netanyahu’s meeting with all security forces, in which it was stated that the numbers of worshipers would be “as they were in previous years,” adding that the situation would be evaluated weekly in terms of security and safety aspects, and that decisions would be made accordingly.

Ben Gvir insists on restricting freedom of worship and prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, and sent a letter to Netanyahu in which he confirmed his opposition to the decision he took to allow worshipers to enter the mosque, and hinted that the police, which are subject to his authority, may not be able to implement this decision.

He also said, "I sent a letter to the Prime Minister warning him of concerns about the inability to deal with overcrowding and congestion on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa) during the month of Ramadan."

Between Ben Gvir's insistence and Netanyahu's evasiveness, the field remains a witness that nothing has changed over the past years except for more restrictions on the doors and preventing young people from arriving to perform prayers in the captive mosque.

Source: Al Jazeera