Israeli authorities have extended a ban on Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem, from praying or preaching at Al-Aqsa Mosque until April 2027, Al Jazeera reports.
The order, issued on 20 October, is the fifth against him since August 2024, when police detained him over a sermon mourning the assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Sabri described it as unjust and illegal and said it was intended to silence criticism.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a Palestinian monitoring group, says more than 1,000 orders barring Palestinians from the mosque compound and the Old City have been issued since the start of 2026, including against religious figures and Islamic Waqf staff. Meanwhile, far-right Jewish activists have increasingly prayed at the site under police protection, against the long-standing status quo.
Source: Al Jazeera
