OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Palestinian activists are calling for increased vigilance and a sustained presence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem in response to a growing wave of Israeli settler incursions and violations, which are being carried out under the protection of the Israeli police forces.
The calls emphasize the importance of maintaining a continuous presence at the Mosque to safeguard it against escalating violations by settlers and systematic attempts by the occupation police forces to assert control over the sacred Islamic site, particularly during Jewish holidays, when settler violations intensifies.
Community leaders and activists warn that the unprecedented rise in settler intrusions—often marked by attempts to perform Talmudic rituals and symbolic animal sacrifices—poses a direct threat to the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and demands an urgent and unified Palestinian response.
They stress that Al-Aqsa is a historic and religious right belonging exclusively to Palestinians, and that no party has the legitimacy to share or compromise this right. The connection to the Mosque, they insist, must be upheld despite Israel’s increasingly harsh restrictions and its militarized lockdown of Jerusalem’s Old City.
On Thursday, dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa under heavy police guard, conducting provocative tours that included ritualistic performances and dances seen as inflammatory by the Palestinians.
Simultaneously, the police forces intensified their presence throughout the Old City, effectively transforming it into a closed zone. Forces were deployed at short intervals, particularly around Al-Aqsa’s gates, to facilitate the settlers’ entry and ensure their protection.
Palestinian groups are urging the public to remain alert and present at the Mosque to counter these acts, which they describe as part of a broader campaign of religious and cultural aggression aimed at erasing Palestinian and Islamic heritage in Jerusalem.
