Expulsions from Al-Aqsa Mosque are rising as the Israeli holiday season approaches
The number of expulsion orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque has increased recently, coinciding with the nearby Israeli holiday season, one of the year's longest holiday periods.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem clarified that the expulsion orders mainly affected young men who had recently finished periods of expulsion from Al-Aqsa Mosque. Many of these individuals are former prisoners who had served time in Israeli prisons and were released several years ago.
In recent days, the Israeli occupation authorities issued several expulsion orders, including:
Israeli forces detained 70-year-old Haj Amin Ali Al-Abbasi inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. He was subsequently released on the condition that he stay away from the mosque for one week and return to the police station immediately after that period ends, as the order may be extended for several months.
Additionally, Firas Abu Usba, a young man from within the 1948 borders, was expelled from Al-Aqsa Mosque for one week after being arrested yesterday following the noon prayer. He was detained at the Al-Qishla police station in Jerusalem's Old City and released on the condition that he stays away for a week. There is also a possibility that he could be summoned again after this period to extend his expulsion for several months.
The Israeli occupation authorities decided to expel Samah Mahameed, a young woman from within the 1948 lands, from Jerusalem for 90 days and placed her under house arrest for five days.
Mahameed was detained roughly a week ago at her home in Umm al-Fahem and transported to the al-Qishla police station in Jerusalem's Old City. She appeared before a court, which prolonged her detention, citing her social media posts about the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the recent Israeli-Iranian conflict, before she was released a few days later.
In a related development, following their questioning, Hamza Jabr al-Abbasi, Amin al-Abbasi (Abeesan), Mohammad Subhi Zalloum, Imran Khdour, Fouad al-Qaq, Dajana Attoun, and Huthaifa Attoun received orders banning them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for one week, with the possibility of renewal over several months.
Recent expulsion orders and summonses have also affected several released prisoners and other young men who chose to stay anonymous.
Yesterday, Israeli police deported three Jerusalemites from the Old City for a week after arresting them from their homes.
With less than two weeks to go before the Jewish Holidays—starting with Rosh Hashanah, then Yom Kippur, and Sukkot—attention turns to Al-Aqsa Mosque, a site often experiencing increased incursions, heightened security, and violations during this time.
Amid this escalation, the policy of expelling people from Al-Aqsa Mosque has become one of the most dangerous tools the occupation uses to impose control over the mosque. It no longer targets a specific group but has affected elders and imams, young men and women, journalists, children, released prisoners, as well as prominent Jerusalem figures and those who regularly frequent the mosque.
The policy of expelling people from Al-Aqsa Mosque has become an ongoing tactic of pressure, extending well beyond the initial expulsion. It continually threatens Jerusalemites with the possibility of being expelled again, often under the guise of "security concerns." These orders are issued after summonses or investigations and can be enforced for varying, renewable periods.
With the holiday season nearing, this policy grows more threatening as the Al-Aqsa Mosque sees fewer voices and figures once present. Meanwhile, gaps are created for settler incursions, transforming expulsions from an extraordinary action into a continuing strategy that undermines the Jerusalemite presence at Al-Aqsa and alters the religious life there.
