Renewing the expulsion of Sheikh Ekrima Sabri from Al-Aqsa Mosque…Ongoing harassment since August 2024
The Israeli occupation authorities have renewed the ban preventing Sheikh Dr. Ekrima Sabri—head of the Supreme Islamic Council, preacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and member of the Islamic Endowment Council—from entering the mosque. His lawyer, Hamza Qutteineh, received a notice barring him from entry for one week, subject to renewal; the ban could be extended for up to six months.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri has been barred from accessing or entering Al-Aqsa Mosque since August 2024. This reflects a continuing policy of excluding prominent religious and national figures in Jerusalem, preventing them from reaching the mosque and carrying out their religious roles there.
This move is part of a broader campaign of harassment against Sheikh Sabri, including arrests, summonses, interrogations, legal proceedings, and repeated bans from Al-Aqsa Mosque. These actions keep him from the mosque where he serves as a preacher and restrict his religious influence and role in Jerusalem.
These measures align with the ongoing policy of exclusion imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities, which bars Palestinians—including religious and national figures, Islamic Endowment Department staff, young men and women, adolescents, and journalists—from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation authorities issue expulsion orders for varying periods—from days or weeks to, in most cases, several months—preventing those affected from reaching or praying at the mosque. The bans also prohibit them from being in the mosque’s courtyards and prayer halls, as well as its entrances and corridors.
These measures come amid an ongoing campaign to undermine the Palestinian presence at Al-Aqsa, as incursions and settlers’ public religious rituals inside the site increase, alongside restrictions on Muslim worshippers.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem reported that, since the beginning of this year, more than 1,000 expulsion orders have been issued concerning the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem’s Old City. The figure points to an intensification of the expulsion policy, which targets Jerusalemites, bars them from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayer, and restricts their presence in the Old City.
