Jerusalem (AP) — A ruling by a local Israeli court in support of Jews praying quietly in the sanctuary of Jerusalem has offended Islamic authorities.

The compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third most sacred place in Islam and the most sacred place for Jews, called the Temple Mountain because of the ancient Jewish temples. It was the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where tensions helped ignite the 11-day Gaza War in May. With informal understanding, Jews are not allowed to pray there.

The Magistrates’ Court ruling in Jerusalem was about a Jewish man who had been locked out of the place for 15 days after he caught Israeli police quietly praying there. The court lifted the ban a few days ago and ruled that the man “prays every day at Temple Mount, like many others.”

The ruling noted that he had done it quietly and personally, saying that “this activity alone is not enough to violate police instructions.”

The Magistrates’ Court constitutes the lowest level of Israeli judiciary and hears cases involving relatively minor crimes.

Under a long-standing informal arrangement known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the place, but not to pray there. The agreement has collapsed in recent years as a large group of Jews, including hardline religious nationalists, regularly visited the scene to pray. The Israeli government has stated that it is committed to maintaining the status quo.

Palestinians and neighboring Jordan, the custodian of the sanctuary, plan for Israel to eventually take over or divide the compound, similar to the similarly disputed sanctuary in Hebron on the west coast occupied by Israel. I’m afraid to be.

The Islamic Foundation, which maintains Al-Aqsa, called the ruling a “serious breach” of compound sacredness and a “clear provocation” against Muslims around the world.

Friday prayers at the mosque are regularly attended by tens of thousands of Palestinians and may be followed by protests and clashes with Israeli police. A provocative visit by Israeli right-wing politicians in 2000 helped ignite the Second Intifada or uprising.

In the 1967 war, Israel occupied East Jerusalem, including the Old Town and its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sanctuaries, and annexed it in a move not recognized by most international communities. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. The city’s status has been one of the most disruptive issues in its failed peace efforts for decades.