Jewish Activists Enter Al-Aqsa 70,000 Times as Israeli Officials Defy Prayer Ban

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jun 27

More than 70,000 Jewish activists entered the Al-Aqsa compound last year, according to the Waqf and temple movement leader Yehudah Glick, as Israeli officials and groups increasingly prayed, prostrated, waved flags and sang there despite rules barring non-Muslim worship.
That push is being driven by the Temple Mount movement, which seeks to end the site’s Islamic governance, permit non-Muslim prayer and ultimately build a new Jewish temple at Islam’s third-holiest site.
Jordan’s Jerusalem Waqf said the rising "incursions" are being accompanied by deeper Israeli involvement in services and facilities, warning that administrative control is shifting from the Waqf toward an Israeli agenda.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says policy is unchanged, but ministers including Itamar Ben-Gvir have openly challenged the status quo; on Jerusalem Day he waved an Israeli flag at the compound and declared, "The Temple Mount is in our hands."
Palestinian analysts and Israeli rights researchers warn any formal change could ignite broad unrest, recalling Ariel Sharon’s 2000 visit that helped trigger the five-year Second Intifada.

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Al-Aqsa Status Quo Eroded: 2025–2026 Escalations, Policy Shifts, and Regional Fallout

Overview

Between late 2025 and mid-2026, tensions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound sharply escalated as Israeli officials, led by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, increased their intervention and systematically eroded the long-standing status quo. Ben-Gvir played a central role by appointing a new Jerusalem District commander and pushing policy changes that allowed greater Jewish access and prayer at the site. Despite warnings, Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed concerns about breaching historic arrangements. These actions triggered widespread local and international condemnation, deepening divisions and raising fears of further instability in Jerusalem and the broader region.

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