Image Source: Al Jazeera
World – Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians from accessing Masjid Al-Aqsa and the Old City of Jerusalem during the final days of Ramadan. Activists say this is an unprecedented closure in the mosque’s modern history.
The restrictions have left the compound’s gates sealed to worshippers, with only a handful of guards permitted entry. In response to these unprecedented measures, Jerusalem-based archaeologist and activist Abeer Zayyad described a Ramadan unlike any other.
Zayyad grew up within the Al-Aqsa compound and has spent decades doing humanitarian work in the Old City. She said the closure has struck at the spiritual heart of Palestinian life in a city that reserves its most profound communal rituals for Ramadan.
“This is the first time in history that the mosque has been closed during Ramadan,” Zayyad said.
Unequal Access
The closure has not been applied evenly. Muslims and Christians are locked out of their holy sites. Israeli authorities have allowed Jewish worshippers to gather at the Western Wall in groups of fifty.
Mosques and churches across the Old City remain shuttered, with no announced reopening timeline. Movement restrictions extend beyond the mosque itself. Palestinians living outside the Old City walls cannot enter, not even to visit family.
Zayyad owns property in the Old City, so she can still enter. But for most Palestinian Jerusalem residents, the neighbourhood is effectively sealed.
“They are not allowing even workers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque. Only a few guards are permitted inside, and that’s all,” Zayyad said.
Economic Collapse
The economic toll on the Old City has been severe. Ramadan is usually the busiest and most important time for merchants inside the walls. Visitors typically come from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and across Europe.
This year, all commercial activity has stopped, partly due to municipal taxes being raised by about forty per cent at the start of the year. Additionally, no relief or subsidies have been offered to affected businesses.
Recognising this hardship, she called on Muslims worldwide to visit the Old City as soon as restrictions are lifted.
“As soon as the war ends and the airport reopens, I urge Muslims from all countries to come and stay in the Old City, to support the local stores. This is very, very important because it will help them to continue,” Zayyad said.
Zayyad’s appeal comes as Palestinian residents of the Old City face a Ramadan without its key rituals. There are no congregational prayers, no communal iftars in the mosque grounds, and no income from pilgrims and tourists who usually support the neighbourhood during the holy month.
