Israel ponders restricting access to one of Islam's holiest sites for Ramadan
NPRIsrael ponders restricting access to one of Islam's holiest sites for Ramadan Enlarge this image toggle caption Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images TEL AVIV, Israel – The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is always a period of heightened tensions around Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, as hundreds of thousands of worshipers line up to enter one of Islam's holiest sites to pray. Ben-Gvir, who lives in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Israeli security forces should prevent Palestinian residents from the occupied West Bank from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, built on huge stone platform in Jerusalem's Old City and known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. Ben-Gvir, an ultra-nationalist member of Netanyahu's cabinet, said the restrictions were necessary because "we should not allow residents from the Authority to enter Israel in any way." Netanyahu's office told NPR the prime minister is "considering Ben-Gvir's opinion on placing restrictions during Ramadan," but added that "there are still no concrete plans."