Al-Aqsa Under Tight Watch: Ramadan Begins Amid Security Restrictions
As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins this week, Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound stands at the center of heightened security measures and renewed tensions. Israeli police announced Monday that they would deploy forces “day and night” across the site—known to Muslims as Al-Aqsa and to Jews as the Temple Mount—and in the surrounding areas, with thousands of additional officers expected for Friday prayers.
For hundreds of thousands of Palestinian worshippers, Ramadan at Al-Aqsa is a tradition of profound spiritual significance. The compound is Islam’s third-holiest site, located in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by most of the international community.
Permits and Restrictions
Senior Jerusalem police officer Arad Braverman said authorities had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem. He did not specify whether age limits would apply, noting that the final number would be decided by the government.
But the Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate reported a different picture. In a statement, it said it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50—mirroring last year’s criteria. It also accused Israeli authorities of blocking the Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian-run body that administers the site, from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
A Symbol and a Flashpoint
The Al-Aqsa compound is more than a religious site. It is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and national aspiration. It is also a frequent flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Under long-standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound—which they revere as the site of their Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD—but they are not permitted to pray there. Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo. Palestinians fear it is being steadily eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes to the prayer arrangements were planned. But recent years have seen a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists challenge the ban, including far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
Ramadan Under Restrictions
For Palestinian worshippers, Ramadan at Al-Aqsa has become a season of negotiation with Israeli security measures. Age restrictions limit who can travel from the West Bank. Checkpoints create long waits. The presence of police inside and around the compound alters the atmosphere of prayer.
The Waqf’s inability to complete preparations—shade structures, medical clinics—adds practical hardship to symbolic grievance. For those who do reach the compound, the experience of Ramadan is shaped not only by devotion but by the security architecture surrounding it.
What Comes Next
The coming weeks will test whether this year’s arrangements can prevent the kind of clashes that have erupted during previous Ramadans. The convergence of large crowds, heightened emotions, and competing claims to the same sacred space creates a volatile mix.
Israeli officials frame the security deployment as necessary for public safety. Palestinian leaders see it as an assertion of control over a site that should be theirs to manage. International observers watch for sparks that could ignite wider conflict.
For now, the first day of Ramadan arrives. Worshippers will gather. Police will stand watch. And Al-Aqsa, as always, will hold within its walls the prayers of the faithful and the weight of a conflict neither can escape.
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