Israel Announces Closure of Holy Sites in Jerusalem

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - All holy sites in the Old City of East Jerusalem occupied by Israel have been closed this weekend for security reasons. This was announced by Israeli police on Thursday local time. ‘To safeguard public safety and human lives, all holy sites in the Old City, including the Western Wall, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Temple Mount Complex, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, will remain closed,’ police said, quoted on Saturday (7 March 2026). ‘Access will not be allowed for worshippers or visitors of any faith,’ he added. The Old City is located in East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and subsequently annexed in a move not internationally recognised. The closures coincide with the holy month of Ramadan, during which tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims typically pray every Friday at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Since the start of the war, Israeli authorities, for security reasons, have prohibited access to the Old City for anyone other than residents or shop owners. Israel, in coordination with the United States, began attacking Iran on Saturday, killing the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering a regional war.