Closing Al-Aqsa, Ibrahimi Mosque, and Al-Qiyamah Mosque: Creating Pretexts to Impose a Fait Accompli

Sheikh Hatem Al-Bakri: The presence of our people in Al-Aqsa and Al-Ibrahimi Mosques is the only available means now to protect the identity of these two mosques and preserve their sanctity.

Aziz Al-Assa: Everything the occupation authorities are doing is an assault on the freedom of worship of Muslims and Christians, which is guaranteed by international and humanitarian laws and conventions.

Dr. Hassan Khater: The occupation is exploiting the current events to isolate Muslims from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque and prevent them from reaching them.

Hatem Abdel Qader: Arab and Islamic countries must shoulder their responsibilities in defending Islamic and Christian holy sites and pressuring the occupation to halt its violations.

Khaled Zabarqa: The Israeli action is essentially political and aims to exploit regional conditions to control Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation authorities have exploited every opportunity or event to implement their expansionist plans in the Palestinian territories, impose facts on the ground, and resolve the conflict unilaterally through brutal force. This includes holy sites, which have always been at the center of the storm and targeted through closures, restrictions, and attacks on worshippers, without any regard for any earthly or heavenly rights, covenants, or norms.

Since Friday, the occupation authorities have imposed a complete closure, preventing worshippers from reaching the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. They have cited concerns for their safety following Israel's massive attack on Iran early Friday morning and Iran's missile response.

Religious figures, politicians, activists, and writers who spoke to "I" confirmed that the occupation is exploiting the current events to isolate Muslims from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque and prevent them from reaching them, in an assault on the freedom of worship of Muslims and Christians, which is guaranteed by international and humanitarian laws and conventions.

They emphasized the necessity of the Palestinian people's presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque, as this is the only available means of protecting the identity of these two mosques and preserving their sanctity. They called on Arab and Islamic countries to shoulder their responsibilities in defending Islamic and Christian holy sites and to pressure the occupation to halt its violations.

The closure of Al-Aqsa and Al-Ibrahimi Mosques carries worrying indicators.

Sheikh Hatem Al-Bakri, preacher at the Ibrahimi Mosque and former Minister of Endowments, said that in light of the difficult circumstances the region is experiencing, as a result of the accelerating and successive events, especially those resulting from the ongoing war on Gaza for more than a year and ten months, in addition to the recent escalation represented by the current war on Iran, the situation in the West Bank has become extremely difficult, and the impact of this has also extended to the holy sites, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Al-Bakri explained that serious measures were taken against these two mosques, including their closure. This entails grave risks, as such closures have not occurred for decades, except in rare instances. Furthermore, the Ibrahimi Mosque was only closed after its infamous massacre, for a few days.

Sheikh Al-Bakri added that this closure carries deeply worrying implications and could lead to unintended consequences, as religious sites are sensitive areas, and any violation of them or their being drawn into conflict zones could threaten the stability of the entire region.

He stressed the need to keep these holy sites away from provocations and escalatory measures, as this could lead to undesirable consequences. He also emphasized the need to protect them from political tensions and occupation measures, such as preventing worshippers from reaching or performing prayers there.

Sheikh Al-Bakri called on the Palestinian people to remain present at these sites, but only for prayer, saying, "In this delicate period, we ask nothing more of our people than to head to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque to pray, seclude themselves, remember God, and recite the Quran."

The occupation seeks to impose new facts on the ground.

He explained that this symbolic step is the only available means now to protect the identity of these two mosques and preserve their sanctity, especially in light of the escalating tensions in the region following the Israeli war against Iran, which has become a major focus of attention.

He emphasized that Palestinians' closeness to the two mosques, through prayer and worship, aims to protect them from Judaization and to safeguard their religious status as symbols of Islamic identity.

Sheikh Al-Bakri pointed out that Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque have profound religious and historical dimensions. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third of the two Holy Mosques, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, urged people to travel to it, saying: “Travel should only be undertaken to three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, my mosque, and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

As for the Ibrahimi Mosque, it is associated with the Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, who is considered the grandfather of the prophets, and the grandfather of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, which gives the mosque a great religious status.

Sheikh Al-Bakri concluded his remarks by emphasizing that these two mosques, given their significant religious significance, must be respected and appreciated, and kept away from the cycle of tension and occupation measures that seek to impose new facts on the ground.

Israel denies all agreements and treaties

For his part, writer and researcher specializing in Jerusalem affairs, Aziz Al-Asaa, said that the ruling right-wing government in Israel is turning its back on all agreements, treaties, and understandings concluded between the occupation and the Palestinian leadership, at least since the Oslo Accords in August 1993.

He added: It also turns its back on all those who live on the land of Palestine, from the sea to the river, other than the Jews. I mean here, primarily, the Muslims and Christians, who are subjected to religious and ideological persecution, through daily, organized and programmed attacks on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and attacks - from time to time - on Christian religious sites, in various parts of the Palestinian homeland, especially the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Al-Assa pointed out that this government, represented by its ministers, denies the right of followers of both religions—Islam and Christianity—to worship, and disregards their feelings, beliefs, and moral and emotional needs to connect with their religious sites and practice their rituals and practices.

He said: In accordance with the strategy described above, based on the logic of force, indeed excessive force, in dealing with the Palestinian people, and against the backdrop of the aggression against Iran, starting at dawn on Friday (13-06-2025), the decision was made to close the holiest places in the world, namely: the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Ibrahimi Mosque, by preventing worshippers from reaching where they worship the One and Only God, the Almighty and Omnipotent over His servants.

Al-Aqsa is almost empty of worshippers

He added: "Since that day, the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque has been almost empty of worshippers and attendees, and all gates are subject to strict inspection, preventing worshippers from entering the mosque."

He added: "However, the gates are open to intruding settlers, who can enter whenever they wish to perform various rituals, which constitute a violation of the sanctity of the mosque, which is a place of worship for Muslims alone, with no one sharing ownership or exclusive right to pray there."

He added, "This also constitutes a blatant assault on Muslims' freedom of worship in their mosque. The same applies to Christian worshippers, whom the occupation authorities prevent from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, disregarding the repercussions this has on their feelings and the psychological and moral harm it causes."

Al-Assa addressed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, noting that it is shackled by Judaization measures that negatively impact Muslims, who are permitted to use the mosque for worship in the narrowest of circles. Even services and facilities are now off-limits to Muslims, with the keys held by settlers.

Al-Assa believes that everything the occupation authorities are doing is an assault on the freedom of worship of Muslims and Christians, which is guaranteed by the laws, regulations, and laws of the people under occupation.

Israel uses the pretext of war on Iran

He said: As for using the war on Iran as a "pretext" for these measures, and the pretext of fear for the safety of worshippers, we see it as a statement of "truth intended to be false", in fact it is falsehood itself, and we cannot rule out that this will be reflected in future measures, in which the current measures may turn into a "status quo", granting the occupation government itself the authority to tighten control over the religious sites under discussion, and other Islamic and Christian religious sites, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is located in the House of Judaization fire that has begun to threaten to devour everything that the settlers seek to seize.

At the end of his statement to Al-Quds, Al-Assa stressed the need for official and popular action, led by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in accordance with the Hashemite guardianship, which grants the Jordanian state the undisputed right to protect the religious rights of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem. This is in order to restrain the occupation from encroaching on Islamic and Christian religious sites, particularly in Jerusalem, and to prevent worshippers from enjoying the right to worship guaranteed by divine and earthly laws.

The occupation claims that it is concerned for the safety of worshippers!

In turn, Dr. Hassan Khater, director of the International Jerusalem Center, said there are two main reasons for the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the restriction of the number of worshipers to Waqf employees and a small number of other employees:

First: The occupation is exploiting the current events to isolate Muslims from the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent them from reaching it. This is considered one of the strategic goals of the occupation, which is to exploit all circumstances and events in order to isolate Al-Aqsa Mosque and distance Muslims from it under any available pretext. In this case, the occupation's pretext is to prevent large gatherings in order to protect people's lives.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly under these circumstances, according to Khater, is the occupation's fear that the congregation of worshippers at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque will amount to a large celebratory gathering in response to the ongoing events and rocket attacks on Israeli cities, something the occupation does not want.

He stressed that the occupation does not want to ignite the feelings and emotions of the Palestinian people, especially from the heart of Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Ibrahimi Mosque, as such large gatherings could, under such circumstances, ignite a major uprising against it. He added that the occupation is well aware that the situation in the West Bank is highly and unprecedentedly charged, and it is known to the occupation that there are no places more attractive for people to gather for such major events than Al-Aqsa Mosque and its courtyards, as well as the Ibrahimi Mosque and its surroundings.

Khater believes that confronting this assault on the two mosques lies in raising the voices of the Jordanian and Palestinian Islamic endowments and protesting the occupation's actions through all means and channels. This could lead to a popular movement and numerous interactions to lift the closure and siege on the two mosques.

The occupation seeks to impose new facts on the ground in Jerusalem.

For his part, Hatem Abdel Qader, Secretary-General of the Islamic Christian Committee for the Defense of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, believes that the Israeli occupation is attempting to exploit the war on Iran to impose new realities on the Palestinian territories, particularly in Jerusalem. He is exploiting the world's and the media's preoccupation with the issue to cover up its plans for the Holy City and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, most notably Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

He explained that the occupation's closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque aims primarily to empty them of worshippers, undermine their religious symbolism and Islamic identity, and pave the way for settlers to continue their incursions and perform their Talmudic rituals, both in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Abdul Qader pointed out that preventing worshippers from performing their religious rituals constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights and freedom of worship, a serious provocation of Muslim sentiments, and an additional factor in fueling the escalating tensions in the region.

Changing the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque

He stressed that this closure cannot be separated from the escalating violations perpetrated by the occupation against Al-Aqsa Mosque, which aim to alter its historical and legal status and undermine Jordanian and Palestinian religious and administrative sovereignty over it and over the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

Abdul Qader emphasized that these serious and ongoing violations require all official and popular bodies to uphold their responsibilities, confront this aggressive policy, and mobilize all possible efforts to protect these holy sites from Judaization schemes.

He also called on Arab and Islamic countries to shoulder their responsibilities in defending Islamic and Christian holy sites and to utilize all their energies to pressure the occupation to halt these violations.

Abdul Qader concluded his remarks to Al-Quds by saying, "We believe that the occupation's continued violations will inevitably lead to a dangerous situation, and it will bear full responsibility for all possible repercussions."

Great risks to the future of the mosque and its Islamic identity

Lawyer Khaled Zabarqa, who specializes in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa affairs, said: "The closure of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, a place of worship and prayer for Muslims, by the Israeli occupation poses significant risks to the future of the mosque and its Islamic identity.

He explained that concerns have recently increased as a result of this closure, despite it being unjustified and not based on any logical or realistic reasons.

Zabarqa added, "The occupation is trying to exploit the current regional circumstances in a vicious way, targeting the identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, while Arabs and Muslims are not paying attention, especially with the attention being focused on the Israeli-Iranian war, which has deepened concerns about the fate of the mosque."

He pointed out that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque remained filled with worshippers and Muslims throughout the years of occupation, and that it was the popular and public support that contributed, after the grace of God Almighty, to protecting and defending the mosque.

Jordanian and Islamic intervention is required

Therefore, official Jordanian intervention, along with action by Islamic countries, is an urgent requirement to pressure the occupation to lift its control over the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Zabarqa stressed the need to refrain from this dangerous measure, which carries significant threats. He also called for people to flock to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and rally around it, given its religious and national significance.

He stressed that the presence of the public, worshippers, and those performing I'tikaf, along with focusing attention on what is happening inside the mosque, is the need of the hour, especially in light of these complex circumstances.

He continued: "We, in Jerusalem, must keep our attention focused on Al-Aqsa Mosque and our inalienable right to enter it, pray there, and practice our religious rituals freely."

Zabarqa considered the Israeli action to be essentially political, aiming to exploit regional conditions to advance an occupation agenda aimed at controlling the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.