Israeli police arrested the imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed al-Abbasi, inside the courtyard of the religious complex in Jerusalem on Monday evening. According to reports from Palestinian sources, the arrest was carried out without giving an official reason, adding to tensions around one of the most sensitive religious and political sites in the region.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the move comes at a time when restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers at Al-Aqsa have been tightened, while access to the religious complex has become increasingly controlled. There have also been reports of an increase in incursions by settlers under police protection.
On Tuesday, Hamas condemned the arrest, stating that the imam had been served with an order prohibiting him from entering the mosque, describing the move as an interference in Al-Aqsa's religious affairs and an attack on the authority of imams.
The event further increases tension in East Jerusalem, where political and religious clashes over the status of Al-Aqsa remain a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
