Israeli court upholds non-Muslim prayer ban at Al-Aqsa
Al JazeeraAn Israeli appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling questioning the legal basis of a longstanding ban on non-Muslim prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement calling Sunday’s ruling “a grave assault against the historic status quo … and a flagrant challenge to international law”. Israeli police repeatedly raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan this year, which coincided with the Jewish Passover festival, in order to provide protection for settler visits. Last year, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad underwent an 11-day war with Israel over attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians in Jerusalem and raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.