Warning from Jerusalem: Israeli Law Criminalizes Interference in Religious Practices

SadaNews - The Jerusalem Governorate has warned of the severe dangers posed by the new Israeli law project that the Knesset approved yesterday, Wednesday, in its preliminary reading, which criminalizes "interference in religious practices in public places." The Governorate confirmed that the application of this law to the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as it is considered a public space, represents a direct and grave threat to the existing historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as it is a place of exclusive Islamic worship for Muslims alone.

According to what was published by "The Times of Israel," the Israeli Knesset voted yesterday, Wednesday, by a majority of 49 members in favor of 35 to pass a bill titled "Achieving Jewish Identity in Public Space," which aims – according to its promoters – to ensure the freedom of expression of Jewish religious identity, criminalizes any interference in religious practices in public places, and grants legal protection to Jewish religious rituals and ceremonies in the public sphere.

The Governorate emphasized, in a statement, that the danger of this law lies in its potential use to entrench a new reality in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing the mosque's guards or any other parties from fulfilling their duties in stopping non-Islamic religious practices and rituals within its grounds, under the pretext that they are "legally protected religious practices" in a "public space," which effectively paves the way for imposing temporal and spatial division, changing the identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erasing its Islamic character.

It stressed that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, covering 144 dunams, is a pure Islamic endowment, and it should not be subjected to any internal Israeli legislation or considered a public space governed by Israeli "public space" laws. It considers that any attempt to implement this law in Al-Aqsa constitutes a blatant violation of international law, United Nations resolutions, and the internationally recognized existing historical and legal status (status quo).

The Governorate also warned that if this law comes into effect, it could be used to criminalize any interference by the guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, including preventing incursions or public Talmudic rituals within the courtyards, which opens the door to serious escalation and deliberate provocations by extremist groups.

The Governorate called on the international community, the United Nations, UNESCO, and Arab and Islamic countries to bear their legal and moral responsibilities, and to urgently intervene to stop any Israeli legislation or measures that would affect the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque or alter its existing legal and historical status.