Netanyahu bans Jews from entering the Esplanade of Mosques until the end of Ramadan

11 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered that Jews cannot access the Esplanade of the Mosques from this Wednesday until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on April 20, in line with the decisions of other years. and with the apparent aim of easing tensions in the area.

The authorities had kept the mystery in recent days, marked on the Esplanade -called Temple Mount by the Jews- for the actions undertaken by security forces against Palestinians allegedly entrenched in the Al Aqsa mosque.

This same Tuesday, the area had been open to Jews, but Netanyahu has confirmed that from Wednesday access will remain banned, in such a way that only Muslims will be allowed access after the end of Easter, reports the newspaper ‘The Jerusalem Post’.

The ‘status quo’ in the Esplanade of the Mosques already prevents Jews from praying in the place and only authorizes their visit at predetermined times. It also establishes that they must go through it on a fixed route, accompanied by police officers who ensure that the faithful do not pray or that they introduce Israeli flags or religious objects.

The site was the scene of an escalation in January following a visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, although tensions peaked last week after Israeli forces charged Palestinians in Al Aqsa Mosque citing security risks.