OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli occupation authorities on Sunday issued new ban orders barring several Palestinian residents of Jerusalem from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as part of an escalating campaign targeting worshippers and activists ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Jerusalem-based sources said Israeli authorities handed one-week ban orders from Al-Aqsa to Ahmad Marrar from the town of al-Tur, Mohammad Jabr al-Abbasi, former prisoner Ramzi al-Abbasi from Silwan, and Nidal Abu Hussein. The orders are renewable, allowing authorities to extend them upon their expiry.
In a related move, Israeli authorities informed Jerusalemite brothers Barakat and Mohammad al-Zaatari of six-month bans preventing them from accessing the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Separately, Israeli authorities summoned Jerusalem activist Hanadi al-Halawani for interrogation at the Qishla police station in occupied Jerusalem.
During the questioning, she was handed a decision signed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewing a travel ban that bars her from leaving Palestine until March 2, on claims that her travel poses a security threat.
The measures come amid a broader escalation involving the summoning of Al-Aqsa worshippers for interrogation and the issuance of varying ban orders in the run-up to Ramadan. Israeli authorities have cited multiple alleged justifications for the restrictions.
Jerusalem affairs experts say the real objective of these policies is to reduce Palestinian presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque and restrict access by worshippers, describing the measures as part of a systematic effort to empty the compound during sensitive religious periods.
Palestinian officials and rights groups have repeatedly warned that such actions violate freedom of worship and form part of a wider campaign to impose tighter Israeli control over the holy site.
