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Gulf Insider
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Israel Allows Largest Ever Group Of Jews To Pray At Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israel allowed more than 1,000 Jewish worshippers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, with groups of up to 180 entering the Islamic holy site – the largest number ever permitted by the authorities. They were seen entering the site, referred to as Temple Mount in Judaism, flanked by Israeli security services. The move marks a departure from Israel's previous policy of allowing no more than 30 Jewish Israelis at a time into the site, which was conquered by Israel in the 1967 war and is recognized as occupied territory internationally. The Islamic Waqf, the organization that administers Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Middle East Eye that 1,200 Jewish Israelis entered on Wednesday. More than 4,000 have stormed the Muslim holy site since the Passover holiday began last weekend. Israeli police said that 'officers safeguarded visits to the Temple Mount in accordance with visitation regulations and group size limitations, which are determined by circumstances such as overall visitor numbers and the police's ability to ensure public safety and order'. Thousands of Jewish worshippers could be seen dancing and celebrating at the Lions' Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. Muslim worshippers were prevented from entering the mosque. Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Waqf, told MEE that the scenes on Wednesday – and in the previous days – had been unprecedented. 'These are frightening scenes,' he said. Bazbaz added that the total of settlers who entered the site in 2003 stood at 258, while 'the numbers have risen exponentially' today, with thousands making their way into the complex. 'Today [as the Islamic Waqf], we will be dealing with something we have never ever dealt with before,' he said. A change in status quo? The Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has long declared Jewish worship on Temple Mount forbidden unless worshippers are 'ritually pure', which is believed impossible under modern conditions. However, many Orthodox Jewish settlers oppose this stance, arguing that preventing them from worshipping there is discriminatory. Israeli police allowed 180 settlers to pray inside Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, a move condemned by Palestinians as a serious breach of the status quo. — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) April 16, 2025 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that 'the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change', referring to a 1757 Ottoman decree reaffirming a ban on non-Muslims entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and granting Jews the right to pray at the Western Wall. However, in recent years, visits by Jewish settlers to the site have become increasingly routine. Some Israeli government members, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have openly called for Jewish prayer to be permitted at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The far-right minister has even been filmed entering the complex on several occasions. Some Israeli settlers have called for the construction of a Jewish temple modelled after two temples that once stood on the site – a move that some have said would necessitate the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam. The Temple Mount Administration, a far-right group advocating for the construction of a temple on the site, said on Tuesday that there had been '3,000 worshippers at the Temple Mount in the first three days of Passover'. ⚡️JUST IN:Today's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque for the fifth day by Israeli settlers was the largest since the occupation of Ben Gvir welcomed the performance of Talmudic rituals in Al-Aqsa's courtyards, saying such events have not occurred there in 30 years,… — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) April 17, 2025 Bazbaz warned that the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque was increasingly becoming a reality. He compared it to the situation at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, which has been divided into a mosque and a synagogue – both under Israeli control. 'Let's use the media phrase for what is happening: apartheid or segregation has become a historical and current reality on the ground,' he said. Bazbaz added that the situation had worsened since the start of the war in Gaza, with Jewish religious practices on Al-Aqsa Mosque being encouraged and even backed by the authorities. 'What happened today was more of a move to cause outrage rather than for religious purposes,' he said.
Middle East Eye
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Huge surge of Jewish worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque as Muslims locked out
As hundreds of Jewish Israelis flocked in and out of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, the Temple Mount Administration, the body responsible for the entry of Jewish worshippers to the holy site, took to X to celebrate what it called 'an amazing surge'. According to the Temple Mount Administration, named after the Jewish term for the raised plateau Al-Aqsa Mosque stands on, 4,209 Jews entered the courtyards to pray since the Passover holiday began on Saturday. That's more than all the Jewish worshippers that visited during holidays last year. Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Islamic Waqf, the organisation that administers Al-Aqsa Mosque, confirmed to Middle East Eye that there has indeed been a surge in controversial Jewish religious visits. The Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has long declared Jewish worship on Temple Mount forbidden unless worshippers are "ritually pure", which is believed impossible under modern conditions. For decades Israel prohibited Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is one of the holiest sites in Islam. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters However, some ultranationalist settlers oppose this stance, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government has increasingly allowed and even encouraged Jewish prayer there. "These are frightening scenes," Bazbaz said. According to Bazbaz, such numbers have never been recorded before. In 2003, a total of 258 settlers entered the mosque's courtyards and were not allowed to openly pray. Today, "the numbers have risen exponentially", he said, with thousands making their way to the site. Bazbaz said 600 Jews entered Al-Aqsa on the first day of Passover and 1,150 and 1,745 in the following days. He estimated more than 2,000 came on Wednesday. Changing the Status Quo Some Israeli officials, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have openly called for Jewish prayer to be permitted at Al-Aqsa Mosque and changing the Status Quo that has regulated Jerusalem's holy sites for decades. The far-right minister has even been filmed entering the mosque on several occasions. His wife, Ayala Ben Gvir, celebrated the huge numbers of Jewish worshippers seen at Al-Aqsa by posting on X: 'Wow, what a day on the Temple Mount.' "Itamar's policy of authority and quiet from Muslim rioters, together with the struggle against religious discrimination against Jews, increases the number of pilgrims to the Temple Mount out of holiness and light," she added. On Thursday morning, Tzvi Succot, an MP with the far-right Religious Zionism party, also paid a visit. Succot, who was previously indicted for bowing down on the ground of Al-Aqsa, was filmed again prostrating - this time alongside a police escort. Explained: Why Jewish worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque is controversial Read More » "Fourteen years ago, I was here, I bowed for one second - and in an instant I was captured by the police. They took me to the station and arrested me," Succot recalled. "Today, Jews bow down, pray, hold minyanim [quorum] here, they don't let the Arabs get close to us, the Waqf doesn't come near us. I see this thing with tears in my eyes." Some Israeli settler groups, including the Temple Mount Administration, have called for the construction of a Jewish temple in place of Al-Aqsa Mosque. "With the help of God, we will merit the final redemption and the building of the temple,' Succot said. Bazbaz said the Waqf is 'dealing with something we have never ever dealt with before'. While Jewish prayer is increasingly permitted, heavy restrictions have been placed on Muslim worshippers. "Let's use the media phrase for what is happening: apartheid/segregation has become a historical and current reality on ground," Bazbaz told MEE. Bazbaz added that since Israel's war on Gaza began, the situation has worsened, with the Jewish religious practices being encouraged and even backed by the law. Mustafa Abu Sway, an Islamic scholar at Al-Aqsa, told MEE that Israel put "restrictions on Palestinian Muslims on a daily basis" in the mosque. "During the last month of Ramadan, the Israeli government decided that only 10,000 Palestinians could join Muslim worshippers at Al-Aqsa," he said. The Israelis restrict the entrance of "youngsters, women and even elderly depending on the timing". Losing control On Wednesday, Israel allowed groups of up to 180 Jewish worshippers to enter the mosque - far higher than the 30 previously permitted. "Until 2000, the Waqf was in complete control of who enters the Mosque and who doesn't," Abu Sway said. But since 2003 the Israelis are violating the Status Quo, he added, and "slowly the settlers increased their activity in the complex, to the degree that today they pray, dance and sing national songs". Itamar Ben Gvir thanked Succot and the thousands of Jews who have entered Al-Aqsa so far. "What they haven't done for 30 years was done on my watch and I'm happy that I was privileged by the grace of God to lead the huge change," Ben Gvir said. Jewish worshippers gather at the Lions' Gate in Jerusalem as they attempt to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque (Lubna Marsawa/MEE) According to Abu Sway, Ben Gvir "keeps violating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque" and hopes to provoke Muslim riots there. "The violations keep worsening and things are escalating and changing by the day," said Abu Sway. "Al-Aqsa Mosque is a peaceful place of worship that is exclusively for Muslims." Interior Minister Moshe Arbel of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which is a member of the coalition government, said "going up to the Temple Mount is contrary to Jewish law and the instructions of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel". He urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads Succot's Religious Zionism party, "to clarify to his party members the directives of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, which strictly prohibit going up to the Temple Mount".
Middle East Eye
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel allows 180 Jews to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque for first time
Israel has allowed 180 Jewish worshippers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, the largest number ever permitted by the authorities. On Wednesday, dozens of worshippers were seen entering the site, referred to as Temple Mount in Judaism, flanked by Israeli security services. The move marks a departure from Israel's previous policy of allowing no more than 30 Jewish Israelis at a time into the site, which was conquered by Israel in the 1967 war and is recognised as occupied territory internationally. Israeli police said that "officers safeguarded visits to the Temple Mount in accordance with visitation regulations and group size limitations, which are determined by circumstances such as overall visitor numbers and the police's ability to ensure public safety and order". Thousands of Jewish worshippers could be seen dancing and celebrating at the Lions' Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. Muslim worshippers were prevented from entering the mosque. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Islamic Waqf, the organisation that administers Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Middle East Eye that the scenes on Wednesday - and in the previous days - had been unprecedented. "These are frightening scenes," he said. Bazbaz added that the total of settlers who entered the site in 2003 stood at 258, while "the numbers have risen exponentially" today, with thousands making their way into the complex. "Today [as the Islamic Waqf], we will be dealing with something we have never ever dealt with before," he said. A change in status quo? The Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has long declared Jewish worship on Temple Mount forbidden unless worshippers are "ritually pure", which is believed impossible under modern conditions. However, many Orthodox Jewish settlers oppose this stance, arguing that preventing them from worshipping there is discriminatory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that "the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change", referring to a 1757 Ottoman decree reaffirming a ban on non-Muslims entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and granting Jews the right to pray at the Western Wall. However, in recent years, visits by Jewish settlers to the site have become increasingly routine. Why is Jewish worship at al-Aqsa Mosque so controversial? Read More » Some Israeli government members, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have openly called for Jewish prayer to be permitted at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The far-right minister has even been filmed entering the complex on several occasions. Some Israeli settlers have called for the construction of a Jewish temple modelled after two temples that once stood on the site - a move that some have said would necessitate the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam. The Temple Mount Administration, a far-right group advocating for the construction of a temple on the site, said on Tuesday that there had been "3,000 worshippers at the Temple Mount in the first three days of Passover". Bazbaz warned that the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque was increasingly becoming a reality. He compared it to the situation at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, which has been divided into a mosque and a synagogue - both under Israeli control. "Let's use the media phrase for what is happening: apartheid or segregation has become a historical and current reality on the ground," he said. Bazbaz added that the situation had worsened since the start of the war in Gaza, with Jewish religious practices on Al-Aqsa Mosque being encouraged and even backed by the authorities. "What happened today was more of a move to cause outrage rather than for religious purposes," he said.
