Israel bars Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque imam amid escalation

Israeli authorities have barred the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem from entering the site for one week, days before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Anadolu reports.

The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that Sheikh Muhammad Ali Abbasi was detained by Israeli forces and banned from entering the mosque compound for a week. It did not say why he was barred.

The move comes amid Israeli escalation across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, including restrictions on the entry of worshippers and intensified incursions by illegal settlers into the flashpoint complex.

Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is set to start this week.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area 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 in a move never recognized by the international community.

READ: Israel plans to restrict access to al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan