Israeli police arrested the Imam of Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem on Monday evening inside the mosque’s courtyards, in a move Palestinians say further threatens the sanctity of the site ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
Mohammed al-Abbasi was detained in what Palestinian sources described as an unexpected operation by occupying Israeli authorities in Jerusalem.
Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, reported that al-Abbasi was arrested without any reason being provided by Israeli police.
Reports added that the arrest came “amid escalating Israeli measures against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, including restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers stationed there, limitations on the entry of worshippers, and intensifying incursions carried out by settlers under heavy protection from Israeli police.”
On Tuesday, Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organisation under UK law, issued a statement condemning the arrest, stating that al-Abbasi had been served an official order “banning him from the mosque.”
“Fascist occupation”
Hamas said the punitive measures “constitute blatant interference in the affairs of Al-Aqsa and an unacceptable assault on its imams.”
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“The escalating violations by the fascist occupation government against the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the imposition of restrictions on worshippers’ access, the prevention of logistical preparations for the month of Ramadan, and the intensification of raids by settler groups are dangerous interventions that fall within its persistent attempts to control and Judaize the mosque, restrict freedom of worship there, and impose temporal and spatial division,” the group added.
Israel has frequently imposed restrictions on the Al-Aqsa compound during the holy month of Ramadan, a period when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians travel to the third holiest site in Islam.
Al-Abbasi’s ban from the mosque was set for one week, with the order subject to renewal.
Al-Abbasi described the decision as deeply distressing, particularly as he had only recently resumed his duties as imam following a year-long recovery from a serious car accident.
Threat to Al-Aqsa
Occupied East Jerusalem, particularly the Old City and the areas surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque, has witnessed heightened Israeli security measures and rising tensions in recent months.
These measures have included arrests and bans imposed on religious figures, as well as restrictions preventing Palestinians in Jerusalem from attending prayers at the mosque.
Hamas also called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the 1948 territories to remain present at Al-Aqsa in order to defend the site from incursions by religious Zionist extremists and Israeli authorities.
The group urged the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Arab and Muslim-majority nations to take urgent steps to pressure Israel to end what it described as violations of international law.
There have been repeated efforts by Israeli authorities and religious Zionist groups to assert greater control over Al-Aqsa, alongside a growing movement advocating the construction of a “Third Jewish Temple” in place of the existing mosques within the Al-Aqsa compound.
