Israel bans Jerusalem’s grand mufti from Al-Aqsa Mosque for one week

The incident is the latest in a pattern of Israeli measures in the occupied territory since the Gaza genocide began.Israel has barred the grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for one week.The Jerusalem-governorate" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="163047" data-entity-type="organization">Jerusalem Governorate said in a post on Facebook that Sheikh Muhammad Hussein was detained by Israeli forces after delivering his Friday sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Later, the governorate confirmed that Hussein had been released, but was temporarily banned by Israeli authorities from entering Islam’s third-holiest site in occupied East Jerusalem for one week, with the possibility of the ban being renewed.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Palestinian legislative elections set for November 28list 2 of 3EU states do not need ‘consensus’ to hold Israel accountablelist 3 of 3Andy Burnham apology for Labour stance on Gaza: Is UK’s position shifting?end of listAccording to the Quds News Network, Hussein was arrested for the contents of his sermon, during which he prayed for mercy for Palestinians killed by Israel and relief for those held in Israeli prisons.In a message to Al Jazeera, the Jerusalem-governorate" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="163047" data-entity-type="organization">Jerusalem Governorate said “the arrest was carried out in order to serve him [Hussein] with an order banning him from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for one week, with the possibility of renewal. This is not the first time such a measure has been taken against him.”Israel has not commented on Hussein’s brief arrest or banning.The incident is the latest in a pattern of escalating Israeli measures in occupied Palestinian territory since the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023.More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since then, including at least 243 children, amid what rights groups say is an intensifying campaign of military raids, settler violence and expanding Israeli control.On Friday, six Palestinians, including children, were reportedly injured during an attack by settlers in Huwara, Nablus.