In Ramadan, the features of Jerusalem change; minarets embrace lanterns, and the alleys of the Old City pulsate with the footsteps of worshippers headed to Al-Aqsa Mosque, where spirituality intersects with memory and worship with identity. Ramadan in Jerusalem is a season of dense presence, of endurance, and of the meaning of permanence in a city subjected daily to attempts to alter its religious and historical reality.
However, every year, this scene of faith collides with the occupation's measures from restrictions on entry to barriers that separate the worshipper from their niche of prayer, and doors that open and close based on security calculations that disregard the sanctity of time and the sanctity of the place. In Jerusalem, prayer becomes a journey of suffering, and reaching Al-Aqsa becomes a daily test of patience and resilience.
Indeed, hindering prayer in Al-Aqsa represents a direct infringement on freedom of worship, which is guaranteed by divine law as well as protected by the rules of international humanitarian law and human rights covenants, notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirms individuals' rights to practice their rituals without arbitrary restrictions. Al-Aqsa Mosque is a spiritual symbol for the Arab and Islamic nation and a human landmark where messages and history converge.
When the mosque becomes constricted for worshippers in Ramadan, the occupational message impacts the sensibilities of millions of believers and poses a real challenge to the international community in safeguarding freedom of worship and preserving the historical and legal status of sacred places.
Experience has proven that Jerusalem needs more than seasonal rhetoric; it requires a sustainable Arab strategy based on several parallel courses:
Effective diplomatic mobilization in international forums to affirm the right to worship and defend the existing historical status, and prevent the imposition of unilateral realities.
Systematic documentation of violations and pursuing them through specialized international judicial mechanisms to enforce the principle of accountability.
Supporting the resilience of Jerusalemites in housing, education, and commerce as human presence in their city is the real guarantee for the preservation of the identity of the place.
In addition, a professional and balanced media narrative that presents Jerusalem as a matter of right and freedom and reinforces the narrative based on law and international legitimacy.
Jerusalem in Ramadan reminds the Arabs that their unity is a historical responsibility since protecting the right to pray in Al-Aqsa is a defense of human dignity and safeguarding the memory of the place and defending justice.
Jerusalem will remain the city of spirit, and Ramadan there will continue to be a season of hope despite the restrictions. Yet, hope alone is insufficient; it requires political, legal, economic, and media support. Between will and action, the lines of the Arab stance are written, either presence that befits Jerusalem or absence that burdens the memory.
