Israel’s closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque is an act of war

Israel’s Closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque is an Act of War

Less than a day after the US-Israeli attack on Iran began last weekend, the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem were closed. Israeli occupation forces removed worshippers and cited wartime ‘preventive measures’ as justification.

In the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Palestinian homes lack bomb shelters, and public ones are scarce. According to Israel’s state comptroller, approximately half of the population in 1948 territories has no secure location to escape air strikes.

Confining worshippers to their homes, markets, streets, or workplaces rather than allowing access to mosques doesn’t enhance their safety. In the context of Gaza’s genocidal conflict, the notion that Israeli authorities prioritize Palestinian safety is both dismissive and deeply unsettling.

A Strategy of Religious Replacement

These mosque closures reflect a broader Zionist agenda of religious replacement. Religious Zionists, now the leading force in Israeli society, refer to the Al-Aqsa complex as the Temple Mount, a term that prompts a mental erasure among adherents. Similarly, the Ibrahimi Mosque is labeled the Cave of the Patriarchs by the Zionist right.

The imposition of emergency closures on the mosques serves two main purposes. One is to solidify Israel’s claim over these sites, sidelining Islamic administrators