By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Tensions rose in Jerusalem on Wednesday after Israel’s government said it would impose restrictions on the access of Palestinians to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of East Jerusalem during the Muslim month of Ramadan amid “security needs.”
The Al-Aqsa compound, seen as the third “holiest” site in the world for Muslims, sits atop a hill in the Old City. The site is also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the planned restrictions on access to the site despite expected frictions, especially around religious holidays such as Ramadan, which will begin about March 10 this year.
Government ministers said the policy would include limiting the access of Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria to the Temple Mount during Ramadan.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) foreign affairs department condemned the proposal.
It added that the world is “leading towards the declaration of a religious war.”
Israel cites “security concerns” as the main reason behind the move after it was attacked on October 7 by Hamas, which it views as a terrorist organization.
Some 1,200 people died, and about 250 others were kidnapped in the worst recorded atrocities against Jews since the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Britain and Germany signed a landmark treaty Thursday to provide each other defense assistance and closer cooperation on migration, amid European concerns over U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s “America First” stance.
Christians in Indonesia’s West Java province are reeling from mob attacks carried out by Muslim hardliners seeking to prevent church services and halt the construction of places of worship.
A mass sea baptism involving five churches and 92 believers has drawn national attention in Britain. Christians call it a powerful sign of a “quiet revival” spreading nationwide.
Moroccan community leaders in the southeastern town of Torre Pacheco have called for calm after four nights of violent clashes between North African migrants and far-right protesters.
A new U.S. intelligence assessment reveals that last month’s airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure largely succeeded in destroying the heavily fortified Fordow enrichment facility, while only partially damaging two other sites–Isfahan and Natanz–raising concerns over Iran’s ability to resume uranium enrichment within months.
Israel has launched a forceful military intervention in southern Syria aimed at protecting the embattled Druze minority, after more than 500 people were killed in four days of bloody conflict in the province of As-Suwayda. The fighting, sparked by sectarian tensions between Druze militias, Bedouin tribal fighters, and Syrian regime forces, was intensified by alleged atrocities against Druze civilians–prompting Israel to act.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition plunged into deeper crisis Wednesday as the ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced its ministers were resigning from the government in protest of the failure to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service. The move, while not an official departure from the coalition, further weakens Netanyahu’s grip on power, reducing his effective support in the Knesset to just 60 out of 120 members.