Israeli Authorities Issue Al-Aqsa Mosque Bans Against 7 Palestinians

Israeli authorities have issued six-month bans against seven Palestinians, barring them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and the surrounding area in the walled Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Palestine News Agency.

Among those affected is Samer Abu Quwaider, who works as a guard at the compound; the others are East Jerusalem residents. The Jerusalem Governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, said those targeted were notified of the decision through WhatsApp messages outlining the specific areas they are now barred from entering, including routes leading to the mosque.

The bans arrive as Israeli groups increase calls for settlers to visit the site during the current Jewish holiday season, which began last week. Israeli authorities have previously imposed similar restrictions on Palestinians who objected to settler visits to Al-Aqsa. Around 240 Israeli settlers entered the compound on Sunday, the final day of the Jewish New Year, with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, observed Sunday and Monday.

Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third-holiest site and also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, has repeatedly been a flashpoint since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, with recurring settler visits and restrictions placed on Muslim worshippers. Settlers, who refer to the site as the Temple Mount, have sought to establish a presence there to perform Jewish prayers at designated times, an effort that several far-right ministers and lawmakers within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have publicly backed.

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