Amidst the war with Iran, Israel has closed Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest mosques of Muslims, for the last 16 days. In the month of Ramadan, many Muslim countries of the world have expressed their displeasure regarding this decision. The Arab League, an organization of Arab countries, strongly condemned Israel’s decision on Sunday (15 March 2026). The organization said that Israel has no right to stop Muslims from worshiping in the mosque and this is a violation of international law.
According to the report of Middle East Eye, the Arab League said in the statement that such action can have a serious impact on regional and global peace and security. An appeal was also made to the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop alleged illegal actions at the holy sites of Jerusalem.
Longest closure in Ramadan after 1967
Israel has taken the decision at a time when Israel has closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque located in occupied East Jerusalem since the Iran War started on February 28. According to Palestinian officials, this closure is considered to be the longest during Ramadan since Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. At the same time, only about 50 worshipers are being allowed to worship in the Ibrahimi Mosque located in the occupied West Bank.
Israel cited security reasons
Israel says that this step has been taken due to regional war and security threat. According to him, there remains a threat of missile attacks from Iran. Due to the closure of the mosque, the Al-Aqsa complex is almost empty. Thousands of Palestinian Muslims have to offer namaz on the streets and near the walls of the old city. Due to closure of mosques in the last ten days of Ramzan, important prayers like Lailatul Qadr and Itikaf have also been affected.
Many countries and organizations condemned
Apart from the Arab League, many Muslim countries and organizations have also criticized this move. Islamic organizations, Muslim World League, Al-Azhar, African Union and Arab League have called it a violation of international law and an attack on religious freedom. The Palestinian Authority has called it the longest captivity since 1967, while Hamas has called it a move akin to a declaration of war.
