Bans on Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Grow as Israel Tightens Control; Imam Sabri's Ban Extended to 2027
Israel has renewed its ban on Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. The latest exclusion order prevents him from praying or delivering sermons at the mosque until April 2027. For more than two years he has been unable to enter the holy site.
Sabri heads the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem and is one of the most prominent Palestinian religious figures in East Jerusalem. Exclusion orders have been issued against him repeatedly since August 2024. The latest order, issued on October 20, is the fifth such ban.
The restrictions began in August 2024, when Israeli police detained Sabri over a sermon in which he mourned Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had been assassinated by Israel. Since then he has faced repeated Israeli interrogations.
Sabri described the latest decision as unjust, illegal, inhumane and uncivilised, saying it was intended to silence those speaking out about Al-Aqsa. He said he would continue defending Al-Aqsa despite the restrictions, describing the mosque as an integral part of his Islamic faith.
He said the measures are aimed at diminishing the Palestinian presence at the mosque while allowing settlers to carry out incursions in large numbers. Such actions, he said, represent an aggressive policy targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic presence within it.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a Palestinian human rights monitoring group, says Israeli authorities have issued more than 1,000 exclusion orders barring Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City since the beginning of 2026, including against religious figures and Islamic Waqf employees.
The centre reported an increase in exclusion orders ahead of Jewish holidays, documenting more than 40 issued over five days in early September.
The experience of another Palestinian, Ibrahim al-Natsheh, tells a similar story. He was released by Israeli police earlier this month after a week in detention, having been arrested while attending funeral prayers for his cousin at Al-Aqsa. Officers handed him a six-month exclusion order barring him from East Jerusalem's Old City; no specific charge was brought against him.
Al-Natsheh said he has received so many exclusion orders that he has lost count. The restrictions began about nine years ago, following an Israeli crackdown on Islamic study circles at the mosque. Palestinian students, teachers and activists associated with those activities have faced arrests and exclusion orders.
He said the ban orders give no specific reason and simply cite 'disturbing the peace', even though worshippers are there solely to pray. Ahead of the Jewish holidays, he and a group of other worshippers received messages warning them not to approach the mosque or face arrest.
Even when not under a formal exclusion order, al-Natsheh said Israeli police have prevented him from entering Al-Aqsa. He also alleged that officers repeatedly arrested him at the mosque's gates and severely beat him in detention. The path to the mosque, he said, has become incredibly difficult, swarming with soldiers and settlers.
At the same time, far-right Jewish religious activists have increasingly been allowed to pray at the site under Israeli police protection. That runs against a longstanding status quo and is opposed by ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious authorities.
Al-Aqsa has seen an escalation in Israeli restrictions throughout 2026. After the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities closed Al-Aqsa to most worshippers for 40 days, reopening the compound on April 9.
According to the Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem Governorate, almost 28,000 visits by Israeli settlers were recorded at Al-Aqsa between July and September. Ma'rouf al-Rifai, an adviser to the Governorate, said Israeli restrictions on Muslim worshippers had intensified during recent Jewish holidays. Israeli authorities were asked for comment on these claims but have yet to respond.
