Palestinians Face Growing Bans from Al‑Aqsa as Israel Tightens Control

For more than two years, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri has been barred from the Al‑Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, unable to pray or deliver sermons at the holy site. The latest exclusion order, issued on 20 October 2024, extends the ban until April 2027. Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem, is among a growing list of Palestinians facing Israeli restrictions at the third holiest site in Islam.

The restrictions began after Israeli police detained Sabri in August 2024 over a sermon in which he mourned Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel. Since then, Sabri has faced repeated interrogations and five exclusion orders, the most recent of which he described as “unjust, illegal, inhumane and uncivilised.” He says the measures aim to silence those speaking out about Al‑Aqsa.

Palestinian human‑rights groups report that Israeli authorities have issued more than 1,000 exclusion orders against Palestinians at Al‑Aqsa and the Old City since the beginning of 2026, including religious figures and Islamic Waqf employees. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center noted an increase in orders ahead of Jewish holidays, with over 40 issued in five days in early September.

Other affected individuals include Ibrahim al‑Natsheh, who was released after a week’s detention for attending funeral prayers at Al‑Aqsa. He received a six‑month exclusion order and said he has lost count of the orders he has received over the past nine years. Al‑Natsheh alleges that police have repeatedly arrested and beaten him while attempting to enter the mosque.

Israeli police have also allowed far‑right Jewish religious activists to pray at the site under police protection, a shift from the longstanding status quo that has drawn opposition from ultra‑Orthodox authorities. According to the Jerusalem Governorate, almost 28,000 Israeli settlers visited Al‑Aqsa between July and September, and restrictions on Muslim worshippers intensified during recent Jewish holidays.

Ma’rouf al‑Rifai, adviser to the Jerusalem Governorate, warned that Israeli authorities have curtailed the Islamic Waqf’s role in managing the mosque. Fewer than 15 guards now work the morning shift, compared with about 50 previously. The Waqf has also been prevented from carrying out restoration work at the Bab al‑Rahma prayer hall and maintaining the compound’s trees and gardens.

Al‑Rifai cited proposals to allow Jewish visitors on Saturdays, divide access between Muslims and Jews, and recruit volunteers to escort Israeli incursions—developments that could erode the Waqf’s authority and alter the status quo at Al‑Aqsa.

Al Jazeera has sought comment from Israeli authorities but has not yet received a response. The situation remains fluid, with ongoing restrictions and reports of increased police presence and settler activity at the site.