Israel will control access to Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramzan for 'security reasons'

The Israeli cabinet is considering restricting access to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem to some Muslims during Ramzan.

The move, which is still in the discussion stage, is expected to further heighten tensions in Israel as the country continues to rage a war against Hamas.

Restrictions floated in the cabinet

During the Sunday meeting at the Israeli cabinet, several restrictions were discussed by far-right politicians including permitting only older Palestinian men to enter the mosque and banning others deemed a security risk.

Meanwhile, access to women will remain unchanged.

Adding fuel to the fire, the country’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said elderly Muslim men from within Israel should only be allowed to enter Al-Aqsa, barring those who live in the occupied West Bank.

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‘Entire Middle East could burn’

The discussions have sparked anger among several centre and left-leaning politicians in the Israeli cabinet.

“The entire Middle East could burn on the heels of this decision, which could cost lives, but [Ben-Gvir] doesn’t care,” Merav Ben Ari, an MP with the opposition Yesh Atid party, warned.

“Every decision, from getting the hostages back to pilgrimages to the Temple Mount rests with one man only — not with professional security officials, not even with the police who are responsible for the Temple Mount, only the national security minister,” she added.

A Palestinian member of the Knesset, Mansour Abbas, told the Israeli radio, “During these four months of war, we dealt every day with how to calm the spirits in Arab society and now they come to make a heavy-handed and irresponsible decision and infringe on the right of Muslims to pray freely in the mosque.”

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Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office in a statement said, “The prime minister has made a balanced decision that allows for religious freedom within the limits of the security needs as established by heads of the security establishment,” without mentioning what the decision was.