OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
On a morning that was supposed to be filled with joy and the sound of takbeer, Palestinians awoke to a heavy scene where grief mixed with anger.
This year’s Eid al-Fitr was unlike any before: crowds were absent from Al-Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards, and attendance at the Ibrahimi Mosque was limited to only a few dozen worshippers, an unprecedented situation that revived old questions about religious freedom under occupation.
In Jerusalem, the scene was unfamiliar even to residents accustomed to restrictions. For the first time since 1967, Eid prayers were completely banned in Al-Aqsa’s courtyards, with entry allowed only for a handful of guards and Waqf employees.
The alleys of the Old City were filled with checkpoints, and Israeli occupation forces were deployed in large numbers, preventing thousands of worshippers from reaching the mosque that forms the heart of religious life in the city.
Still, the voice of Eid was not entirely absent. Faint takbeers rose from the minarets, echoed by worshippers who tried to pray in nearby streets, at gates like Bab al-Asbat and Bab al-Amoud, before being forcibly dispersed by the occupation forces.
One young man said, “We were searching for a moment of Eid… even if on the sidewalk,” a sentiment that summed up the feelings of many deprived of entry.
Israeli restrictions were not only sudden but described as the harshest in years, especially with Al-Aqsa closed throughout Ramadan under “security” pretexts tied to regional developments.
On the ground, however, the reality looked more like a complete shutdown of religious life at one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The Ibrahimi Mosque … unprecedented tightening
In al-Khalil, conditions were hardly better. Eid prayers inside the Ibrahimi Mosque were attended by only about 80 worshippers, after strict measures that included closing most gates and limiting entry to a single path under heavy inspection.
Mosque director Mutaz Abu Sneineh described the situation as “unprecedented tightening,” stressing that large numbers of worshippers were barred from entry.
He added in a press statement that holding the prayer with such a limited number was “to preserve the continuity of the ritual, even at the bare minimum.”
The Ibrahimi Mosque, living under a complex reality since its division after the 1994 massacre, appeared more isolated than ever this Eid. Courtyards that once overflowed with worshipers stood nearly empty, a stark image of the Israeli restrictions imposed.