A Labour MP who suggested Israel was prohibiting access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to “limit freedom of worship” – rather than out of security concerns amid the conflict with Iran – has faced criticism after a missile narrowly missed the religious site.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Jas Athwal said his constituents believed limited access to the mosque, which has been closed along with other religious sites under Iranian missile fire, was due to Israel’s desire for “control over access”.
Shortly after Athwal posted a clip of his question on X, an Iranian missile struck Jerusalem’s Old City area, narrowly missing the Al-Aqsa Mosque. One person was injured on Friday after shrapnel fell near the site, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Israeli commentators responded to a clip of Athwal’s statement with outrage.
“You really have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Israeli journalist, JC columnist and author Yaakov Katz.
“Israel is not restricting access to these holy sites to violate religious rights. It is doing so to save lives. And that includes the Western Wall, which has stood empty since the war began. Before making reckless accusations, get your facts straight,” he said.
Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy also shared footage showing smoke rising above the Old City, with the dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque visible.
“This is an Iranian missile fragment that just narrowly missed the Temple Mount. If it were full of people, we’d have been a hair’s breadth from a mass casualty event. Do you get it yet?” he wrote on X in a post directed at Athwal.
Athwal told Parliament: “Many constituents have raised concerns about restrictions on Palestinian worshippers accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
“They fear that the measures presented as security-related may be limiting freedom of worship and increasing control over access. These concerns sit alongside the wider humanitarian situation in Gaza, where reports indicate that hundreds have been killed and many more displaced since the ceasefire.”
Athwal, who was elected to represent Ilford South in July 2024, asked the Speaker to allow time “for a ministerial update on what steps the government is taking to protect civilians, uphold access to places of worship and support progress toward a two-state solution”.
The impact of the missile was reported to be around 350 metres from the mosque and Temple Mount, one of the most sensitive religious sites in the world.
The incident followed air raid sirens and two powerful explosions after missiles were launched from Iran towards Jerusalem, with Israel’s Channel 12 reporting debris landing in numerous locations across the city.
Israel kept the Al-Aqsa closed to worshippers during Eid al-Fitr, marked today, in the first such closure for the holiday since 1967.
The restriction, imposed under Home Front Command measures banning large gatherings during the war, drew criticism across parts of the Muslim and Arab world.
But commentators have pointed out that the strike indicates the site was closed over safety concerns.
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