Entry Ban Against Sheikh Sabri
Sheikh Sabri’s lawyer, Halit Zabarka, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the Israeli police had decided to ban Sheikh Sabri from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months. Zabarka stated that the decision was against the law and emphasized that this practice was taken by the Israeli police in line with the pressure from the rising far-right.
Lawyer Zabarka stated that there was no legal justification for such a decision. He also stated that this decision was taken with the encouragement of fanatic Jewish groups and that it was against freedom of worship, the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Hashemite Guardianship.
Background of Events
What happened? Israeli police detained Sheikh Sabri, the imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in his home in occupied Jerusalem after he prayed for Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau who was assassinated in Iran, during his Friday sermon on August 2. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel announced that plans were underway to revoke Sheikh Sabri’s “residence permit” in East Jerusalem and remove him from the city.
In a letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Arbel conveyed his intention to revoke Sheikh Sabri’s “residence permit.” This should be seen in the broader context of the Israeli authorities’ repeated detentions of Sheikh Ekrima Sabri in recent years, his interrogations, his denial of entry to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and his ban on traveling abroad.
The Situation in Occupied Jerusalem
Israel continues its policy of revoking the permanent residency status of Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and deporting them to the occupied West Bank, which puts great pressure on the local population and threatens freedom of worship.
