Israel bans 2 prominent Palestinian preachers from Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque for 1 week

Israeli authorities on Monday banned two prominent Palestinian preachers from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for one week.

In statements, Sheikh Raed Salah and Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib said they were summoned for questioning by Israeli authorities and were handed a one-week ban order from the mosque.

“We received an order preventing us from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Salah told reporters.

“When asked about our response, we said that Al-Aqsa is a purely Islamic right and we have the right to be there,” he said, denouncing the Israeli ban as “invalid” and “unjust.”

Salah called the Israeli ban “an assault on our religion” and “religious persecution,” stressing that the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem has the sole authority over the mosque.

Khatib, for his part, said the one-week ban is likely to be extended.

“It is clear that next Sunday there will be a decision to extend the ban to six months by the Jerusalem District Police commander,” he said.

“Al-Aqsa Mosque belongs to Muslims, and no one else has the right to even a grain of its soil.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israeli authorities have issued hundreds of similar orders this year against clerics and worshippers in East Jerusalem and within Israel, typically starting with a one-week ban that can be extended for up to six months.

Salah previously headed the Islamic Movement in Israel, while Khatib served as its deputy leader until Israel banned the group in November 2015, alleging it engaged in incitement.

Israeli authorities had earlier imposed a 15-year ban on Salah from entering Al-Aqsa, which ended in 2022.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.