Palestinians face growing bans from Al-Aqsa as Israel tightens control

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam. It is also a Palestinian national symbol. For Muslims, the mosque is a central place of prayer, worship, and religious teaching. For Palestinians, it represents religious identity and a connection to Jerusalem.

The article shows this importance through Sheikh Ekrima Sabri. He leads Jerusalem’s Higher Islamic Council and has been barred from praying or preaching at Al-Aqsa for more than two years. His latest order extends the ban until April 2027. Sabri calls the mosque an integral part of his Islamic faith.

The restrictions affect more than one prominent preacher. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported more than 1,000 exclusion orders against Palestinians from Al-Aqsa and the Old City since early 2026. As access narrows, Palestinians fear a reduced religious presence and shrinking authority for Islamic institutions at the site.

An Israeli exclusion order is a restriction that prevents someone from entering Al-Aqsa, the Old City, or other specified parts of East Jerusalem. It can stop a person from praying, attending funerals, studying, or delivering sermons at the mosque. The article says orders sometimes cite “disturbing the peace” without giving a specific charge.

Ibrahim al-Natsheh said police arrested him after he attended funeral prayers for his cousin at Al-Aqsa. After a week in detention, he received a six-month order banning him from the Old City. The notice warned of arrest and further penalties, including a fine or imprisonment, if he entered the prohibited area.

The restriction can continue through police enforcement, even without a formal order. Al-Natsheh said officers have prevented him from entering and arrested him at the mosque’s gates. He also alleged beatings during detention.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported more than 1,000 exclusion orders against Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem’s Old City since the beginning of 2026. This figure counts orders, not necessarily unique individuals, so it should not automatically be read as 1,000 different Palestinians.

The center also documented more than 40 exclusion orders in five days in early September. The orders reportedly affected religious figures and Islamic Waqf employees, as well as other Palestinians. These figures indicate a broad campaign of access restrictions, especially before Jewish holidays.

The article does not provide a numerical count of settler visits during the same period. It says far-right Jewish religious activists have increasingly been allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa under Israeli police protection and that settlers have entered in large numbers. The exact comparison therefore cannot be calculated from the provided text.

The article describes a longstanding status quo at Al-Aqsa that did not allow Jewish religious activists to pray openly at the site. It says far-right Jewish religious activists are increasingly being allowed to pray there under Israeli police protection. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious authorities oppose this change.

That shift matters because Al-Aqsa is both a major Muslim holy site and a Palestinian national symbol. At the same time that Palestinian worshippers face exclusion orders, activists are reportedly gaining greater access for prayer. Sheikh Ekrima Sabri describes this contrast as part of an aggressive policy targeting the mosque and Islamic presence.

The challenge is therefore practical and symbolic. It changes who can worship and how the site is used. It also raises tensions around the compound’s religious arrangements. The article presents the growing access for activists alongside restrictions on Palestinians as evidence of a changing balance of control.

The Islamic Waqf is the Muslim institution associated with religious administration and oversight at Al-Aqsa. The source does not fully detail its formal legal powers, but it identifies Waqf officials as warning that their authority is shrinking. It also says Islamic Waqf employees have received exclusion orders.

The key mechanism is control over access. Israeli police issue or enforce bans, restrict worshippers, and protect Jewish religious activists who pray at the site. When Waqf employees cannot enter, work, or worship normally, the institution’s ability to carry out its role is weakened. The article links these restrictions to wider Israeli control of the compound.

This creates a practical conflict over who can manage religious life at Al-Aqsa. Palestinian officials say their presence is being diminished while settler incursions increase. If the pattern continues, the Waqf’s influence may become still more limited, while Israeli police shape access and activity more directly.

Repeated exclusion removes people from ordinary religious life at Al-Aqsa. Worshippers can miss prayers, funerals, study activities, and sermons. Religious leaders also lose their ability to teach and lead. The effect is broader than any single ban because repeated orders can make access uncertain for entire communities.

Sheikh Ekrima Sabri has been barred for more than two years and cannot pray or deliver sermons there. Ibrahim al-Natsheh said police arrested him after funeral prayers and later banned him from the Old City. He also described soldiers, settlers, arrests, and alleged beatings around the route to the mosque.

At the same time, far-right Jewish religious activists are increasingly allowed to pray under police protection. Palestinians therefore experience shrinking access while settler visits grow. The article presents this combination as a campaign that diminishes Palestinian presence and Islamic authority, raising the likelihood of deeper tension around Al-Aqsa.

The article places Al-Aqsa in occupied East Jerusalem, whose status is disputed under international law. In practice, Israeli authorities and police control entry, issue exclusion orders, conduct arrests, and protect certain visitors. That control gives them direct influence over worship, movement, and religious activity at the compound.

The source describes Sheikh Ekrima Sabri’s repeated bans, a six-month Old City order against Ibrahim al-Natsheh, and more than 1,000 reported exclusion orders since early 2026. It also says Israeli police increasingly protect far-right Jewish religious activists who pray at Al-Aqsa. These actions shape access through permits, bans, policing, and detention.

The Islamic Waqf’s authority consequently becomes harder to exercise. Officials warn that its role is shrinking, while Palestinian worshippers report growing barriers. The article indicates that continued Israeli control could further reduce Palestinian access and increase Israeli influence over the site’s religious arrangements.