Is it permissible to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque when visiting it via tourist companies, or is that considered normalization?

Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the three mosques to which journeys are undertaken. Prayer within it is equivalent to 250 prayers, according to the more accurate opinion. However, it is not a haram (sanctuary) like Mecca and Medina.

Contemporary scholars differ regarding the ruling on traveling to it while it is under Jewish control. Some have prohibited it due to the necessity of obtaining a visa from them, which implies acknowledging their usurpation, the risk of fitna (temptation/strife), and providing economic and normalisation benefits to the Jews.

Others have permitted it, drawing an analogy with the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) visit to the Sacred Mosque and Mecca when they were under the control of the polytheists. They argue that such travel affirms the Muslims' right to the mosque and provides them with moral and material support.

Sheikh Ibn Baz and Sheikh Al-Barrak permitted it. The traveler must observe a sound intention, avoid tourism, refrain from staying in Jewish hotels, and avoid enriching their economy as much as possible.