Israeli aggression targeting Al-Aqsa has been on the rise since 2003 when Israel unilaterally allowed non-Muslims to raid the Al-Aqsa Mosque without coordinating with the Muslim trust (waqf) in charge of the complex. One of the most recent and egregious examples of Israeli aggression against the mosque was far-right Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir’s incursion. Best exemplified by the Zionist deputy’s scandalous raid, Israel’s aggression has been a clear attempt to do away with the historic status quo that has been in place since Ottoman rule as it contradicts its claims to sovereignty over the place. A wide fan of aggressions has been imposed on the mosque, including raids, Talmudic prayers and rituals, preventing Muslims from entering the mosque as well as targeting waqf employees and the Jordanian role in Al-Aqsa.
This rise in aggression against Al-Aqsa has increased further with the rise of “Temple Groups,” which are organizations embracing the idea of building the Temple Mount in place of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Israeli official support they have garnered on the political, religious and legal levels.
The Knesset elections in November 2022 gave way to the rise of the extreme right and Kahanist parties, which will give these parties more representation in the government and consequently, will boost support for Temple Groups' demands regarding aggression on Al-Aqsa.
A growing trend in Israeli courts has seen the embracing of settlers’ violations of the status quo in Al-Aqsa, mainly under the pretext of “religious freedom.”
In May 2022, an Israeli court ruled against a police decision to remove three settlers from Al-Aqsa because they prayed in the Mosque, and the court said that “bowing down and reciting a prayer was not a sufficient cause to curtail freedom of religion.”
In a similar vein, the Israeli magistrate court ruled, in October 2021, that “quiet” Jewish prayers in Al-Aqsa were not illegal, which was also implied in the ruling of the district court to which the case was appealed. Temple Groups hailed the ruling and called on activists to benefit from the court’s decision and practice Talmudic prayers in the Mosque.
In September 2022, an Israeli court ruled that it was not illegal to blow the “shofar” in the Islamic Bab al-Rahma Cemetery at the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa, which decision was exploited by settlers and Knesset members to blow the “shofar” in the cemetery to celebrate Hebrew New Year.
These and other decisions issued by Israeli courts in previous years seconding Jews’ “right” to pray in Al-Aqsa have given leverage for Temple Groups and allowed them to step further into imposing their rituals in Al-Aqsa.
Notwithstanding the sporadic cases when Israeli police interfere to stop outstanding violations by settlers raiding Al-Aqsa, the growing trend in recent years has seen police tolerance of Jews’ aggression against the mosque, and sometimes being a part of it.
For years, attempts to impose Jewish prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque was one face of aggression that has been kept under the radar. However, reports published in Israeli media presented personal accounts of reporters who accompanied groups of settlers and witnessed them praying in the mosque.
An article published in 2019 in “Israel Hayom” talks about “one of the most kept public secrets in Jerusalem”: Jews are praying in Al-Aqsa, and they are doing so under official sponsorship. The article elaborates on the role of the Israeli police who “no longer drive the worshippers away, unless their intention is clearly to provoke conflict.” It says that “in hundreds of cases in recent years the police have turned a blind eye – at most they hurry the worshippers on.”
This article lends support to a report published in Jerusalem Post in December 2019 addressing “the return of Jewish prayer to (Al-Aqsa) despite police claim to the contrary.” According to the report, settlers have been observed praying in the mosque; apparently, with the tacit consent of police forces at the site. The report describes one event when a group of settlers broke into the mosque and performed rituals, then received a blessing from a rabbi, “in full view and the immediate proximity of the police officers escorting the group.”
This lenient approach by Israeli police toward Jews praying in Al-Aqsa has been noticeable since 2015 when Gilad Erdan assumed his position as Minister of Internal Security. In August 2019, Erdan said that he adopted changing the status quo to allow Jews to pray in Al-Aqsa. Later in October, he said that Israeli authorities might grant Jews the freedom to pray and perform religious rituals in the mosque, and this could happen “under pressure created by increasing numbers of Jews who express their willingness to visit the place.” These statements are but a reflection of the approach embraced by the Israeli security levels toward break-ins in the preceding years.
Notably, Israeli officials, including Knesset members with ministerial portfolios, have supported demands by Temple Groups to pray in Al-Aqsa, and they even participated in break-ins, thus giving leverage for such demands. Over the past years, members of parliament Uri Ariel, Yehuda Glick, Miri Regev, Shuli Moallem and others organized and participated in forums and seminars calling the government to acknowledge this “right.”
In 2022, several Knesset members participated in raiding the mosque, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, Sharen Haskel and Nissim Vaturi. Recently, Vaturi said the current situation did not allow freedom of worship for all religions (meaning for Jews) and suggested that the status quo should be changed.
Over the past years, Israel has made persistent attempts to redefine the Jordanian role and even eradicate it as part of its policy to Judaize Al-Aqsa and put an end to the role of the side representing Islamic authority over the mosque and replace it with Jewish control. In 2022, this trend was manifested again as Israel continued to infringe on the role of Jordan by preventing waqf employees from restoration work, detaining Al-Aqsa guards and banning them from the mosque where they work in addition to proceeding with the restoration of al-Maghareba Bridge which the occupation dedicates for settlers to raid the mosque.
On Jan. 3, Tom Nissani, CEO of Beyadenu, one of the Temple Groups, said in a radio interview that the “Jordanian waqf is a foreign body and must be expelled from (Al-Aqsa).”
On Dec. 29, 2022, Premier Benjamin Netanyahu announced the new government which reflected the further rise of religious Zionism and Kahanist trends in the Knesset elected in November 2022.
The government includes 31 ministers of whom 16 are staunch supporters of the “Temple” and of demands of Temple Mount Groups, and some of them participate in raiding Al-Aqsa. Ben-Gvir, one of the ministers, vowed, during negotiations on joining the government, to change the status quo regarding Jewish prayer in Al-Aqsa and to do everything to prevent what he called discriminatory policies against Jews in the mosque. Another minister, Amichay Eliyahu, said that there should be Jewish prayers in the mosque.
Two striking developments have taken place since the start of 2023 suggesting what the coming stage might carry for Al-Aqsa: Temple Groups expressed their vision regarding the mosque in a letter by their advocate to the Israeli police on Jan. 3, requesting to know Ben-Gvir’s position in this respect as minister of national security. The letter stated 11 demands falling under three headings: spatial division of Al-Aqsa, temporal division and complete imposition of Talmudic rituals and prayers in the mosque.
The other development saw the raiding of Al-Aqsa on Jan. 3, by Ben-Gvir who tried to present his step as an act of Israeli sovereignty and power, stating that the “Temple Mount is the most important place for the people of Israel, and Jews will still go up to the mount.”
Assuming full control of Al-Aqsa is a core belief of Israel, regardless of the orientations of the government, as it considers the mosque part of the “Land of Israel” and its occupation manifestation of its claimed sovereignty over the land. However, the growing support for the idea of the Temple Mount on the security, legal and political levels, as well as the current government line-up, give further momentum to Temple Groups and pave the way for further aggression against Al-Aqsa, which ultimately makes the coming stage critical for the mosque and for the entirety of Jerusalem.
