Israeli Security Rifts Amid Preparations for Ramadan and Potential Rafah Incursion

Amidst heightened preparations by Israeli security forces to invade Rafah before Ramadan, internal disagreements escalated regarding readiness for Ramadan and criteria for worshippers' entry into Al-Aqsa Mosque, between the police and its minister in charge, Itamar Ben Gvir, and other security agencies.

Ben Gvir categorically refuses to allow Palestinians from the West Bank to enter Al-Aqsa, even requesting restrictions on the entry of Jerusalemite Palestinians and 48 Palestinians to the mosque to ensure that those under seventy are not allowed in.

In contrast, other security agencies, notably the Shin Bet, call for a softer government policy during Ramadan, allowing West Bank residents to enter Al-Aqsa, and only imposing restrictions on young age groups entering the mosque for prayers.

This comes as the police prepare to deploy a permanent force within Al-Aqsa throughout Ramadan, claiming to prevent expressions of support for Hamas there.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also disagrees with Ben Gvir, but he refused to make a decision on this matter during Sunday's cabinet session, deferring it to a smaller-scale discussion. 

However, he seized the opportunity of the participation of the leader of the National Camp party, Benny Gantz, in the session after a long absence, to make a decisive decision declaring rejection of the international dictates calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state, in response to US President Joe Biden's plan.

Amidst the risks facing the Palestinians in Gaza due to Israel's insistence on invading Rafah and depriving Palestinians of their right to practice their religious rituals in Jerusalem, attention intensifies towards the West Bank, where settler terrorism is escalating, whether through the construction of new settlement outposts or the seizure of Palestinian lands under the protection of the army and police. 

The settlement advocate Ben Gvir, whom several Israeli and Palestinian parties are betting on, believes that his policy alone is sufficient to escalate into a dangerous security situation.

Meanwhile, Washington fears that Ben Gvir's policy towards the Al-Aqsa may lead to a situation in the Middle East that is difficult to predict.