With the holy month of Ramadan approaching, the Israeli security services have started to prepare for what is generally the most difficult month for them every year. This is especially true this year, with Ramadan coming amid or maybe in the wake of the ongoing war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Either way, Ramadan will arrive amid an unprecedented level of aggression and hostility by illegal settler groups and the extreme right wing in Israel following the events of 7 October, which Israel has not yet been able to come to terms with or deal with its effects. This is despite the horrific degree of death and destruction that it has rained down upon the Gaza Strip, and the undeclared war against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israel’s preparations for Ramadan this year are thus the most sensitive since the start of its occupation of the mosque in 1967. Nevertheless, we know from experience that when it comes to the holy month in Al-Aqsa Mosque, the occupation authorities usually face challenges on two levels.
The first is represented by young Jerusalemites, usually with Palestinians from the 1948-occupied areas — now called Israel — who should otherwise be able to access the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque at other times of the year because they hold Israeli identity cards. They often pose the greatest security burden for the Israeli security services at the mosque, especially the young Palestinians from Jerusalem, who regard themselves as being in constant confrontation with the Israeli occupation state, and have previously been the first line of defence in many previous confrontations with the occupation forces inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The second level is related to Palestinian residents of the West Bank, who are usually prevented by Israel from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque freely, apart from during the holy month of Ramadan, when limited numbers of West Bank Palestinians of specific ages every year, both men and women, as well as those holding security permits, are allowed to pray in the mosque, on Fridays especially. The only problem they pose for the Israeli authorities is their large number. Nevertheless, the young Jerusalemites tend to take advantage of the mass of people in the Noble Sanctuary compound, and this is what the Israelis have to consider every year.