Israeli authorities reportedly informed an employee of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday that he was banned from accessing the holy site in occupied East Jerusalem for four months.
Jad al-Ghoul, a Jerusalemite resident who works at the Al-Aqsa firefighting and rescue department, had been detained on Saturday for several hours at the Mazmoriya checkpoint south of Jerusalem for several hours.
Al-Ghoul was released after being handed a summons to head to the office of Israeli intelligence forces, where he was officially informed of the ban — on the grounds that his presence at the Al-Aqsa compound would pose a “threat to public security.”
The Palestinian had recently been banned from entering Jerusalem for four days during the Maccabiah Games — often referred to as the “Jewish Olympics” — claiming that he would “incite against the event.”
Al-Ghoul’s ban comes as Israel has increased restrictions around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the wake of a deadly shooting attack on Friday, in which three assailants and two police officers — all Palestinian citizens of Israel — were killed.
The Al-Aqsa compound was closed off for two days following the shooting, only to be reopened on Sunday with metal detectors, a move which has been denounced by Palestinian worshipers and officials alike.
(Ma’an)
