Israeli authorities have barred Palestinian worshippers from accessing Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City for Eid al-Fitr prayers for the first time since 1967.
On Friday morning, Israeli police barricaded the complex’s gates, barring worshippers from gathering near the site and forcing them to pray outside the Old City.
In an unprecedented move since Israel seized East Jerusalem in 1967, the Israeli authorities have effectively sealed off the complex to Muslim worshippers throughout Ramadan, using security concerns amid the war on Iran as a pretext.
The holy month is often the main time of the year when Israel allows limited numbers of Palestinians to access Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam.
But this year, thousands of worshippers were forced to pray where they could outside the Old City’s gates.
