The PLO’s Jerusalem Affairs Department condemned the escalating violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli authorities and settlers, saying that around 570 settlers had entered the mosque compound by 10 a.m. Sunday and performed prostrations and Talmudic rituals, coinciding with what is known as Yom Kippur. Large numbers of settlers had also gathered since early morning near the Mughrabi Gate ahead of entering the compound.
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In a statement carried by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, the department said the incursions coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation on Saturday night in so-called Slichot prayers at the Western Wall in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City, amid heavy security and large gatherings of settlers.
The department said the simultaneous events reflected what it described as an increasing overlap between official political actions and religious practices in Jerusalem. It argued that the activity around Al-Aqsa was no longer limited to individual incursions but was developing into what it described as an organized political process aimed at creating new realities in the city and its holy sites.
It said the performance of Talmudic rituals and prostrations inside Al-Aqsa’s courtyards under the protection of Israeli forces constituted a direct challenge to the existing historical and legal arrangements at the site, according to the department.
The department warned that the significance of the developments went beyond the number of settlers entering the compound, arguing that repeated incursions and rituals could establish a recurring reality and potentially lead to the temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It also warned that continued political and security support from the Israeli government for such practices could undermine efforts to preserve the existing arrangements at the holy sites.
The department called on the international community and influential countries to take practical steps to halt what it described as violations, protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and its status, and prevent unilateral changes to the situation in occupied Jerusalem.
