Al-Aqsa Mosque
Why a visit by Israel’s national security minister to Al-Aqsa Mosque caused a firestorm
By Daoud Kuttab — January 6, 2023
(RNS) — Israel must decide whether its future will be as a modern democracy or a theocracy.
Palestinian backers and Israel at odds over holy site visit
By Edith M. Lederer — January 5, 2023
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Tuesday’s visit by Israel’s new National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site has fueled fears of unrest.
Signs invited Jews to visit the Temple Mount. Why Israel’s chief rabbi forbade them.
By Avi Shafran — December 20, 2022
(RNS) — Jewish nationalists bent on affirming the Jewish connection to the Mount have increasingly visited the site.
Jordan’s King Abdullah, custodian of holy sites, meets US Christian leaders
By Daoud Kuttab — May 11, 2022
(RNS) — Reconfirming the status quo in Jerusalem will require some hard diplomacy and a lot of goodwill.
Israeli police enter tense holy site as Jewish visits resume
By Joseph Krauss — May 5, 2022
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police entered the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem to clear away Palestinian protesters after controversial visits by Jews that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed.
Palestinians and Israeli police clash at major holy site
By Joseph Krauss — April 15, 2022
JERUSALEM (AP) — Clashes at the site last year helped spark an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The tinder box of Jerusalem and the tyranny of the religious calendar
By Daoud Kuttab — April 8, 2022
(RNS) — The holiday crunch doesn't bode well for a population already strained by repression and attacks.
As Jews pray on Temple Mount, status quo in Jerusalem’s holiest site begins to shift
By Eetta Prince-Gibson — December 15, 2021
(RNS) — A group that advocates for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount reported that more than 10,000 Jewish worshippers had visited it between September and November in violation of an agreement between Israel and Jordan — an increase of 80% compared with recent years.
Jewish prayers held discreetly at contested Jerusalem shrine
By Ilan Ben Zion — August 25, 2021
(RNS) — “What is happening is a blatant and dangerous violation of the status quo,” said Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, a top official with the Waqf, the Jordanian-backed Islamic trust that administers the site. “The Israeli police must stop providing protection to extremists.”
Israeli PM: No change to ban on Jewish prayer at mosque
By Laurie Kellman — July 19, 2021
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is not changing the norms at a contested site in Jerusalem to allow Jewish prayer there.
Israeli police clash with protesters to clear Al-Aqsa complex for Tisha b’av worshippers
By Daoud Kuttab — July 18, 2021
(RNS) — The Israeli action violates the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, the Jordanian foreign ministry said.
Why is Islamophobia wrong at home and acceptable against Palestinians?
By Omar Suleiman — June 24, 2021
(RNS) — So many who condemn bigotry against Muslims have a blind spot when it comes to Palestinians.
Can American Muslims and Jews help bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians?
By Arthur Waskow and Daisy Khan — May 26, 2021
(RNS) — A joint Muslim-Jewish call for peace has been backed by more than 600 faith leaders.
Malcolm X’s moral courage and the challenge of Palestine
By Omar Suleiman — May 19, 2021
(RNS) — His example of speaking up for the Palestinians shows how moral courage works.
Al-Aqsa attacks harmed the mosque, but long-term cost will be Palestinian anger
By Wasfi Kailani — May 17, 2021
(RNS) — The recent attacks affect not only the historic buildings but sow even deeper hatred, anger and frustration.
