Israel extends ban on Al‑Aqsa imam until 2027 amid rising exclusion orders

Israel has extended an exclusion order on Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem, preventing him from praying or delivering sermons at Al‑Aqsa Mosque until April 2027.

Sabri has faced repeated bans since August 2024, when he was detained over a sermon mourning Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The latest order, issued on 20 October, is the fifth such restriction placed on him.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a Palestinian human‑rights monitor, says Israeli authorities have issued more than 1,000 exclusion orders against Palestinians at Al‑Aqsa and the Old City since the start of 2026. The centre recorded a spike ahead of Jewish holidays, with over 40 orders issued in five days in early September.

At the same time, far‑right Jewish religious activists have been allowed to pray at the site under police protection, contrary to the long‑standing status‑quo endorsed by ultra‑Orthodox authorities.

Palestinian Ibrahim al‑Natsheh, released after a week in detention, said he received a six‑month exclusion order after attending funeral prayers at Al‑Aqsa. He claims he has lost count of similar orders over the past nine years, which he says are issued without specific charges and merely cite “disturbing the peace.”

Both Sabri and al‑Natsheh describe the measures as an effort to diminish the Palestinian presence at the holy site while facilitating increased settler activity.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Yasir Gürbüz / Pexels.