Palestinian Islamic leader issues fatwa calling for Eid prayers outside Al-Aqsa Mosque

Palestinian Islamic leader issues fatwa calling for Eid prayers outside Al-Aqsa Mosque Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 13:02 Ekrima Sa'id Sabri issues religious edict after Israel forces closure of Al-Aqsa during Ramadan An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays in front of the closed Western Wall overlooking the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the Old city of Jerusalem on 13 March 2026 (Olympia De Maismont/AFP) Off A leading Palestinian Islamic cleric has issued a fatwa calling for Eid prayers outside Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, after access to the site was blocked by the Israelis . Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, a preacher at the mosque and a member of the Islamic Waqf Department, said all Muslims should attend the Friday event and pray at the nearest possible location to the site, considered one of the holiest in Islam. “It has become clear to everyone that the closure of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of the war on Iran carries Israeli political goals and agendas, related to an attempt to exploit this major regional event in order to push Judaisation plans on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Khaled Zabarqa, Sabri’s lawyer, speaking to Middle East Eye.