Israel’s closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque is an act of war
Israel’s Closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque Marks a Warlike Move
In the wake of the US-Israeli military strike on Iran, the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem were closed within hours. Israeli forces evicted worshippers and cited wartime ‘preventive measures’ as the rationale.
The absence of bomb shelters in Palestinian homes across the West Bank and East Jerusalem means that nearly half of the population in these regions lack a safe haven during air strikes, as revealed by Israel’s state comptroller.
Confining worshippers to their homes, markets, or workplaces instead of allowing them to access mosques fails to enhance their safety. Given the ongoing genocidal conflict in Gaza, the claim that Israeli authorities genuinely care for Palestinian safety appears not only dubious but deeply unsettling.
A Strategy of Religious Erasure
The targeting of mosques through such measures reflects a broader strategy of religious replacement promoted by Israel’s Zionist government and right-wing factions. Religious Zionists, now the dominant ideological force in Israeli society, refer to the Al-Aqsa complex as the Temple Mount. Upon hearing this designation, adherents instinctively erase its Islamic identity, a pattern that also applies to the Ibrahimi Mosque, which is rebranded as the Cave of the Patriarchs.
By implementing emergency closures, Israel seeks to accomplish two main goals. The first is to solidify its claim over the sites, diminishing the role of Islamic administrators as Israeli forces dictate access terms. In each instance, the Islamic waqf is relegated to a passive observer, subject to the whims of the occupying administration.
The second aim is to isolate the mosques, closing them during Ramadan, serving as a trial run for future potential seizure. This strategy leverages the sacred month as a testing ground for measures that could be applied at any other time.
A Pattern of Precedents
The significance of these closures becomes evident when viewed against Israel’s long-term efforts to control access to Al-Aqsa. Over the past decade, Israel has relentlessly pursued policies to undermine the waqf’s authority over the mosque’s operations.
Notable examples include the 2017 closure following a fatal attack on Israelis at the Lion’s Gate. Despite the mosque’s vast open space conducive to social distancing, Israel maintained the shutdown for two months, including during Ramadan. Similarly, in 2020, the mosque was closed during the pandemic, even as strict entry rules could have been implemented without disrupting worship.
In June 2025, during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, authorities again enforced a mosque closure, underscoring a pattern of asserting control over religious sites during crises.
This trend has intensified in the current Ramadan, with reports indicating that some guards were excluded from duty and essential supplies were halted, further escalating tensions at the holy site.
From a month of heightened sensitivity, it has become a month for testing the machinery of elimination.
