OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
After air raid sirens sounded at 8:00 p.m. on Monday in Occupied Jerusalem and areas inside Israel, marking the start of “Memorial Day” commemorations, observed by Israelis to honor soldiers killed in their wars, the call to the evening (Isha) prayer was absent from Aqsa Mosque, as worshippers in its courtyards and nearby residents did not hear it.
Israeli authorities hold the central ceremony for this occasion each year at Al-Buraq Plaza. In previous instances, forces have entered Al-Aqsa and disabled its sound system to prevent the call to prayer from being heard during these events.
This measure reflects the increasing encroachment by Israeli authorities on Aqsa Mosque, a pattern that has intensified over time. There are ongoing efforts to redefine the role of the Jordanian Waqf administration, reducing it to managing Islamic presence only when permitted, despite it being the sole authorized Islamic authority responsible for all affairs of Aqsa, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The Quds Foundation has previously urged the Jordanian government on multiple occasions to formulate a policy that addresses what it describes as an existential challenge to Aqsa. It has also recently sent memoranda to the foreign ministers of 14 Arab and Islamic countries on this matter.
