Israel Court gives legal backing to Jews 'silently praying' at Temple Mount near Al Aqsa

In what has rekindled fears of a Zionist annexation among the Palestinians, an Israeli court has allowed a Jewish man to silently pray in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. On October 6, a Magistrates’ Court in East Jerusalem ruled in favor of Rabbi Aryeh Lippo, who had petitioned against a ban on his visit to the site. The verdict has angered Palestinians, who are the only party allowed to offer prayer at the holy site, while also triggering fears of possible annexation by Israel. Notably, Jordan, a custodian of the Al Aqsa compound, likened the situation to Israel's annexation of a similarly contested site in Hebron, West Bank. 

The Al Aqsa/Haram al-Sharif in Islam, also known as Temple Mount in Judaism, has been a flashpoint for decades. At present, the Zionists are allowed to visit the compound but only Muslims are permitted to pray under a fragile agreement called ‘the status quo’ signed in the aftermath of the six-day war. The pact also obliges the State of Israel to manage the security at the compound while the Islamic Waqf board oversees the religious affairs there. 

Police appeals against the verdict 

Lippo filed a petition challenging a 15-day ban that the Israeli police levied on him after they caught him praying there silently. On October 6, judge Bilha Yahalom lifted the ban, a move that is being deemed as a violation of the Status quo by the Arabs. She ruled that Lippo’s behavior did not violate the law or police instructions on the site, as he was praying by himself, without a crowd and quietly, in a way that was not external or visible.  In the aftermath, the Israeli police have appealed against the ruling, arguing that Lippo engaged in “improper conduct in the public sphere.”

Israeli advancement in Jerusalem

With increased settlements and new regulations, the Zionists have concreted their stronghold on the disputed territories. Last year, Al-Jazeera reported that Isreal was seeking to establish tourist hubs in the holy Muslim city of Jerusalem. With the reconciliation of Bahrain and UAE’s relations with Israel, Palestinian leaders are seeing dwindling Arab support, which has been leverage in their battle to re-capture the West Bank. Israeli settlers have been courting wealthy gulf tourists and establishing new air links to major travel hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Following the establishment of business links, Jerusalem, which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque, could see a major tourist boost, which experts claim could benefit both Israel and Palestine.  

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