Israeli court extends closure of Bab al-Rahma mosque

JERUSALEM (AA): An Israeli court on Sunday extended the closure of Bab al-Rahma mosque in the occupied city of East Jerusalem, according to local media.

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court accepted a request by the Israeli attorney-general to renew the closure of the mosque, one of several mosques located in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

The Bab al-Rahma Mosque was first closed by the Israeli authorities in 2003. In 2017, an Israeli court renewed the closure order.

In mid-February, Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments Authority (a Jordan-run agency mandated with overseeing the city’s Islamic and Christian holy sites) reopened the mosque following Palestinian protests.

Sunday’s court decision quickly drew fire from Jordan, which is responsible for Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, saying it rejects any “prejudice to its historical situation”.

“East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, is part of the Palestinian land occupied in 1967 and it does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Israeli judiciary under international law,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Jordan demanded Israel revoke the decision and held it totally responsible for any serious consequences of the verdict.

Sunday’s decision came amid tension in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Rahma Gate, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations.

In the weeks since, the Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians — including religious officials — from entering the Al-Aqsa, which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site.

Israel arrests two Aqsa guards amid mounting tension: Israeli police detained two guards at East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday, according to Palestinian authorities.

One guard was arrested as he went out from Al-Majlis gate, one of the Al-Aqsa mosque gates, Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments Authority, a Jordan-run agency mandated with overseeing the city’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, said in a brief statement.

It said the guard has been taken into custody for interrogation.

Another guard was arrested while entering the holy site, according to the authority’s spokesman Firas al-Dibs.

It remains unclear the reason for the guards’ arrest, which came shortly after an Israeli court extended the closure of Bab al-Rahma Mosque, one of several mosques located in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

The Bab al-Rahma Mosque was first closed by the Israeli authorities in 2003. In 2017, an Israeli court renewed the closure order.

Tension has mounted in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Rahma Gate, adjacent to the eastern wall of Jerusalem’s Old City, triggering angry Palestinian demonstrations.