Palestinian leader rejects Israeli restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque

JERUSALEM (AA) – Prominent Palestinian leader Sheikh Raed Salah has rejected Israeli restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.

“Our bond with Al-Aqsa Mosque is sacred,” Salah, the leader of the Islamic movement in Israel, said in a recorded message.

“We have the eternal and legitimate right to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said. “No one on earth has the right to decide who can enter the site.”

The Al Aqsa Mosque is considered to be one of the holiest sites in Islam — it was the first prayer direction of Islam and the site of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)’s Ascension to the heavens.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved recommendations by his National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to restrict the entry of Palestinians living in Israel and Jerusalem into the mosque during Ramadan, due to start on March 10.

While Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims, Jews call the area the ‘Temple Mount’, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

Israel has restricted access of Palestinians into the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Nearly 29,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.