How Rituals of Faith Became Another Casualty of War

1 month ago 8

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Since the Oct. 7 attacks and the start of the war in Gaza, no part of life in the region has been left untouched — least of all, the three great religions whose histories are rooted there.

While Israeli Jews struggle to celebrate holidays or even find common ground with one another, Palestinian Muslims and Christians are struggling to reach their holy sites at all.

Israel this year introduced some of the toughest restrictions on Ramadan prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest structures in the Islamic faith. Al Aqsa, which sits atop an ancient plateau in Jerusalem that is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has long been a point of contention.

For decades, Israel’s government prevented Jews from praying on the grounds to avoid stoking tensions, and officially, it still does so. But as Israel has exerted tighter control over the site, right-wing politicians and settler groups have repeatedly entered the area to pray, a move widely seen as provocative to Palestinian Muslims.

Three security officers stand guard over a group of people praying on a paved area near walls.

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Outside a checkpoint in Ramallah, in the West Bank, artwork depicting the Dome of the Rock, in the Aqsa Mosque compound, adorns a wall next to a blocked road.

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