Ramallah, 15 March 2024 (TDI): On the first Friday of Ramadan, thousands of worshippers from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem were stopped from entering the hallowed Al-Aqsa Mosque to offer prayers.
However, the occupation forces, having converted all of the barriers surrounding Jerusalem into military barracks and erected hundreds of iron barriers inside the Holy City and its town.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine has strongly condemned the above actions. Also, it has asked residents to apply in advance for permissions to pray in Al-Aqsa.
It also broke with tradition by not limiting the age range of men and women who were permitted to enter Jerusalem and pray in Al-Aqsa in previous years.
The Ministry affirmed that Netanyahu deceived the world by adopting the conditions and restrictions of extreme fascist Minister Ben Gvir and giving him the freedom to carry them out in practice, blatantly challenging Muslim sentiment during the holy month.
Netanyahu also concealed his true position behind a phrase (unchanged from previous years) and prevented freedom of worship. Additionally, in an ongoing effort to deceive nations and the people at large worldwide.
Since the Israeli government still permits radical settlers to regularly storm Al-Aqsa, the Ministry demanded immediate international and American intervention to end all of these racist colonial restrictions.
These restrictions are seen as a ticking time bomb that could blow up the West Bank and lead to further unwarranted tensions.
Also read: Palestine denounces Israeli actions in Jerusalem
It must be noted that the grounds of Al-Aqsa Mosque have been targeted by the occupation, particularly during Ramadan in recent years.
The Al-Aqsa compound is located on a plateau in East Jerusalem that Israel seized in a move that was not widely acknowledged by the international community after capturing it in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The complex is home to the third-holiest place in Islam, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, a seventh-century building thought to be the location of Prophet Muhammad’s ascension into paradise.
The area known to Jews as Temple Mount is also where they believe the biblical Jewish temples originally stood.
Also Read: Palestine condemns international inaction amid War on Gaza
