LONDON(RAHNUMA): Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem has been closed for the 34th successive day in the wake of the joint military campaign by Israel and the US against the Iranian regime, which began on Feb. 28.
Israel has declared a nationwide state of emergency and prohibited mass gatherings, including at Jerusalem’s holy sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and expressed concern over extremist settlers calling for access to the shuttered site to hold rituals during this month’s Passover, according to the WAFA News Agency.
Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf administers the mosque and holds the legal authority to manage the compound and control access.
Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate Palm Sunday. Spain summoned Israel’s top envoy to Madrid on Monday to protest, saying that Catholic worship must be able to be “celebrated normally.”
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkiye, Qatar and the UAE have this week condemned the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on Muslim and Christian worship in Jerusalem.
