JERUSALEM: Dozens of Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday under the protection of Israeli police, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Citing the Jerusalem Governorate, WAFA reported that the settlers toured the mosque’s courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals while being escorted by Israeli police.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, believing it was the location of two ancient Jewish temples. Palestinians accuse Israel of intensifying efforts to alter the identity of occupied East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and undermine its Arab and Islamic character.
The incident came amid reports that Israeli police have launched a recruitment drive targeting religious Jews and far-right activists to serve at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the initiative is aimed at expanding Israel’s presence and control over the site.
The report said Daniel Lerach, deputy commander of the police unit responsible for the compound, circulated recruitment appeals through social media and WhatsApp groups, including forums linked to far-right organisations and Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. It also noted that the number of Jewish visitors to the compound has increased significantly, prompting police to extend visiting hours.
The newspaper further reported that senior police officials maintained regular contact with Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his wife, Ayala, regarding developments at the site.
The Jerusalem Governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, condemned the recruitment campaign as a “dangerous development,” saying it reflected efforts to transfer effective authority over Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf to Israeli police and other state institutions.
The governorate reaffirmed that the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department, operating under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites, remains the only body authorised to administer and supervise the mosque under the existing status quo. It accused Israeli authorities of systematically weakening the Waqf’s role and increasing control over access to the compound and its daily administration.
Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed Jewish visitors to enter the compound during designated morning and afternoon periods, except on Fridays and Saturdays. Palestinians maintain that these measures are part of broader efforts to change the historical and religious status of East Jerusalem, which they regard as the capital of a future Palestinian state. International law does not recognise Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.
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