Ramadan Prayers in Jerusalem Peaceful

Prayers at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem passed off peacefully on the first Friday of Ramadan, much to the relief of Israeli security forces. The Times of Israel reports that more than 3,000 police officers and Border Police were deployed across the Old City of Jerusalem ahead of the prayers, amid fears of disturbances.

That was deemed necessary in light of the Hamas terrorist group’s call for Palestinian worshippers to barricade themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as they have done on previous occasions. Bu that did not happen and, according to the Islamic Waqf which administers the mosque compound, as many as 80,000 Muslims took part in the prayers on Friday.

The Al Aqsa mosque is a flashpoint for trouble. In September 2000, after a controversial visit to the mosque by Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon, riots broke out around the Old City of Jerusalem after Friday prayers and Israeli police moved in to stop them. Those riots became the start of the Second Intifada, which lasted five years.

Ramadan is the holiest time of the year in Islam, and within Ramadan, the first Friday and the last Friday are the holiest days. So Muslims who are zealous about a religious struggle with non-Muslims are likely to take action on those days. This has been seen on various occasions in the past, such as in 2021. It was on a Friday in Ramadan that war broke out when Hamas fired rockets towards Jerusalem after a buildup of tensions in the previous days.

This report from Fox: