Israel shuts Palestinian shops to facilitate Jewish prayers in Jerusalem’s Old City

What Happened

Israeli forces ordered more than 50 Palestinian shops in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City to close, effective Sunday morning, the third day of Sukkot, with the closure due to remain in place until 2 October. The shops are located along streets leading to Bab al-Qattanin (Cotton Merchants’ Gate), one of the main gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque used by Palestinian worshippers. On Sunday night, hundreds of Israelis gathered in the area for holiday rituals, while Palestinian residents were ordered to remain indoors and Bab al-Qattanin was closed. The Jerusalem Governorate said the restrictions are part of a recurring pattern of street closures and movement restrictions during Jewish holidays that threaten the Old City’s Palestinian commercial and tourism character. On Sunday and Monday, hundreds of ultranationalist Israelis entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, with at least 1,500 participants on Sunday and 1,200 on Monday, according to the Jerusalem Governorate. Under heavy protection from Israeli forces, the group performed prayers, danced, chanted songs and carried out collective rituals. Knesset member Amit Halevi of the Likud party took part in Sunday’s incursion. A group of rabbis also entered the mosque complex with dozens of settlers, chanting religious hymns inside its courtyards. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir joined the incursions on Monday, saying in a video: “Today, we are the ones in charge on the Temple Mount!” The Jerusalem Governorate condemned Ben Gvir’s incursion and the holding of Jewish prayers within Al-Aqsa, stating the rituals violated the historical and legal status quo and represented an attempt to impose a new religious reality.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The closures and prayer rituals inside Al-Aqsa challenge the internationally recognised status quo under which the entire 144-dunam complex is an exclusively Islamic holy site administered by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. Ben Gvir’s declaration of Israeli control over the site and the reported Jewish prayers inside its courtyards signal a further erosion of that arrangement, which Israel has already undermined through near-daily incursions. Al-Aqsa is one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; changes to its status have historically triggered widespread unrest and cross-border escalation.

Watch For

Monitor whether the shop closures are lifted on 2 October as stated, and whether further Jewish visits or prayer rituals continue inside Al-Aqsa beyond the Sukkot holiday. Watch for reactions from Jordan, which holds custodianship over Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites, the Palestinian Authority, and the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, as well as any protests or confrontations between Palestinian residents and Israeli forces in the Old City. Also track any official Israeli response to Ben Gvir’s remarks and the reported prayers inside the mosque compound.