Palestinian Church Committee Criticizes Israel Limiting Congregants To Al Aqsa Mosque During Ramadan

JAKARTA - The High Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine highlighted Israel's efforts to impose a new reality at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, during the month of Ramadan, amid steps to limit congregation access to the mosque.

Most Arab countries, including Palestine, designated Saturday as the first day of Ramadan fasting after seeing the hilal.

The announcement of the occupation to double its repressive actions during Ramadan, including limiting the number of worshipers and issuing eviction orders, aims to vacate the Al-Aqsa Mosque and isolate it from the Palestinian environment, the committee said in a statement.

The committee said repressive actions by Israel were part of a Jewish project against Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The committee urges Arab and Islamic countries, international institutions, as well as churches around the world to take responsibility for ending aggression, ending occupation and protecting the future of the people, their land, and their holy place.

Like almost every year during Ramadan, Israeli authorities impose restrictions on Palestinians and limit their access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israel's public broadcasting agency, KAN, on Sunday (23/2) said police would not allow Palestinians released from prison in recent weeks to enter sites that are the point of conflict during the Muslim holy month.

KAN also said the police would place 3,000 personnel daily at checkpoints towards East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan.

The report also states that police recommend granting only 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. Permits will only be granted to men over 55 years of age and women over 50, KAN said.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest place for Muslims. Jews call the area the Mount Complex with the claim that two Jewish temples had stood there in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque was located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Israel seized entire cities in 1980 in an act never recognized by the international community.

The International Court stated in July that Israel's longstanding occupation of the Palestinian territories was illegal, and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.