For the fourth consecutive day, the Israeli occupation authorities have continued to close Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, at the height of the month of Ramadan, citing “security considerations” linked to regional escalation. However, what is unfolding goes beyond temporary security measures and constitutes a systematic and grave violation of freedom of worship, as well as the imposition of unilateral control over Islamic holy sites in the occupied territories.
The closure of both mosques and the prevention of worshippers from accessing them amount to clear collective punishment. Denying hundreds of thousands the right to pray during Ramadan, imposing sweeping movement restrictions in the Old City, and effectively emptying Al-Aqsa of worshippers so that only the imam performs prayers there, indicate an attempt to impose a new coercive reality rather than a short-term security response.
International law leaves no ambiguity in this regard. The Fourth Geneva Convention obliges the occupying power to respect the lives and fundamental rights of the civilian population, foremost among them freedom of religion. Article 33 explicitly prohibits collective punishment, and the closure of major places of worship due to political or military developments beyond the control of civilians constitutes a form of collective penalty, regardless of the stated justifications.
In Jerusalem, the closure has been accompanied by the curtailment of the role of the Jordanian Waqf, which oversees Al-Aqsa, restrictions on the entry of logistical supplies, and the marginalisation of guards and staff. These measures point towards the consolidation of exclusive administrative control and the imposition of de facto sovereignty by force, in violation of the legal and historical status quo in place prior to 1967.
In Hebron, the continued closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque further entrenches the division imposed after the 1994 massacre, in which 29 worshippers were killed inside the mosque. Transforming a purely religious site into a permanently divided space serving one side, and then closing it entirely to Muslim worshippers during Ramadan, underscores the dominance of force over law and justice.
The Israeli occupation authorities appear to use each security development to tighten restrictions and expand control over Palestinian access to holy sites, amounting to a direct infringement of religious dignity and a clear breach of binding international legal obligations that cannot be suspended under the pretext of war.
What is taking place deepens the perception that freedom of worship in the occupied territories remains subject to military discretion, and that international law is set aside when it concerns Palestinian rights. The immediate reopening of both mosques and guarantees against the transformation of exceptional measures into a permanent reality imposed by force are urgently required.
