Israel to set security limits on Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa, Netanyahu says

[February 19, 2024]  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he had made a "balanced decision" to allow freedom of worship at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, but that access would be limited according to security needs.  

Muslim worshippers walk in front of the Dome of the Rock ahead of Friday prayer in the al-Aqsa compound, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City February 9, 2024. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer/File photo

Asked about the possibility of blocking access for Israeli Muslims to Al Aqsa, a flashpoint prayer site in Jerusalem's Old City, Netanyahu's office said: "The prime minister made a balanced decision to allow freedom of worship within the security needs determined by professionals." It gave no details.

Israel often sets limits on which worshippers can reach the prayer site - for example based on age - in order to avoid violence from erupting at the site, which is part of a compound also holy in Judaism.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by James Mackenzie)

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.