Two messages in one week: Israeli government pressure to open Al-Aqsa Mosque to settlers on Friday
Israeli ministers and Knesset members, in a recent escalation involving Al-Aqsa Mosque, sent a letter to the Israeli Police Inspector General and the Jerusalem District Commander. They demanded the mosque be opened to settlers on Friday, which they refer to as "Jerusalem Day," or that they be permitted to storm it at night, despite the gates typically being closed to settlers on Fridays.
The letter stated that the signatories are calling for an "organized opening" of Al-Aqsa Mosque to Jews, claiming this reflects "the sovereignty of the State of Israel in Jerusalem" and ensures "freedom of access and freedom of worship" at the site, as they described it.
The signatories stated that halting the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on "Jerusalem Day" conflicts with what they call "the commemoration of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount's liberation in 1967." They called for a "special response" to this day, either by opening Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday or permitting its storming on Thursday night, referred to as "Jerusalem Day Night."
The letter was signed by several government ministers and Knesset members from coalition parties, including Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Health Minister Haim Katz, Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Shekli, and Finance Ministry Minister Zeev Elkin.
The letter was also signed by Knesset members from the Likud and Religious Zionist parties, including Amit Halevi, Moshe Sa'ada, Nissim Vatori, Dan Illouz, Tali Gottlieb, Ariel Kellner, Avichai Poirot, Hava Eti Atiyah, Moshe Basal, Boaz Bismuth, Simcha Rotman, Ohad Tal, and Zvi Sukkot.
This letter follows roughly a week after a similar communication from ministers and Knesset members to the Israeli police leadership, also requesting permission to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, which coincides with "Jerusalem Day." This development indicates increasing political and official pressure to alter the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The previous letter was signed by ministers and Knesset members from the Likud and Religious Zionist parties, including Shlomo Karhi, Miki Zohar, and Amichai Shekli, as well as Knesset members Tali Gottlieb, Simcha Rotman, Dan Illouz, Nissim Fatori, Amit Halevi, Avichai Poaron, Ariel Kellner, Moshe Saadeh, Ohad Tal, and Tzvi Sukkot. The signatories called for settlers to be permitted to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday morning and, if that was not feasible, to open it on Thursday evening.
This request contradicts the incursions program overseen by the occupation authorities, which takes place through the Mughrabi Gate, under Israeli control since the occupation of Jerusalem, and follows specific routes and times in the morning and afternoon, excluding Fridays, Saturdays, and Islamic holidays.
These two messages highlight the increasing Israeli official demands to alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, particularly given the connection between the incursions and the idea of "Israeli sovereignty" over the site. This occurs as extremist Temple Mount groups persist in urging large-scale incursions and public rituals during "Jerusalem Day."
The demands for incursions are now no longer restricted to extremist groups on the Temple Mount; they have escalated into an official policy endorsed by government ministers.
Friday is a day when occupation authorities close the gate to prevent settler incursions, aligning with Friday prayers and the influx of worshippers to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Meanwhile, extremist groups on the Temple Mount have been working for years to expand incursions and facilitate Jewish prayers at extra times and on different days within the mosque.
