The Occupation Solidifies Division in Al-Aqsa: Facilitations for Settlers and Strict Restrictions on Worshippers

The occupied city of Jerusalem is witnessing a stark paradox in the management of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, where the Western Wall plaza is expanding for Jewish worshippers, and restrictions on their numbers are being lifted, while the space available for Muslims to pray has been non-existent since the end of last February. This scene reflects a systematic Israeli attempt to redraw the boundaries of religious presence in the first of the two qiblas, exploiting current circumstances to impose a new reality.

In a move described as provocative, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir carried out an incursion into Al-Aqsa on Monday evening, with the aim of paving the way for new policies that grant settlers additional privileges. The Israeli Supreme Court recently approved an increase in the number of Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall from 50 to 100 people, in response to petitions demanding the expansion of Talmudic prayers.

Field sources observed dozens of settlers lining up in long queues in front of Bab al-Khalil (Jaffa Gate) in the Old City, in preparation for their crossing towards the Western Wall plaza to perform rituals for the Jewish Passover holiday. These crowds come at a time when the occupation police continue to tighten their grip on Palestinians and prevent them from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque, turning the plazas into areas almost devoid of their owners.

The extremist Minister Ben-Gvir agreed with the police leadership on a new mechanism for opening Al-Aqsa Mosque to small groups not exceeding 150 people per round. Observers believe that this measure aims to equate the number of Muslim worshippers with the invading settlers, which is considered a dangerous leap towards the actual temporal and spatial division of the mosque.

For his part, academic researcher Saher Ghazawi affirmed that these practices fall within an accelerating path through which the occupation seeks to impose field realities based on politically employed religious narratives. Ghazawi explained that the occupation authorities exploit the state of emergency selectively, applying restrictions to Palestinians while facilitating the movement of settlers and their crowds around the Old City.

Ghazawi added that Ben-Gvir's recent incursion represents a deliberate political step to pave the way for intensifying mass incursions coinciding with the end of Passover holidays. This coincides with an escalation of restrictions on the Islamic Endowments Department and its employees, in a clear attempt to seize its powers and reduce its historical role in managing the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Current developments indicate that the occupation is pushing towards an advanced stage of the project of complete control, driven by extremist religious discourse that employs myths to justify changing the status quo. Occupation leaders exploit regional weakness and international preoccupation to pass these schemes that directly target the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem.

Al-Quds International Foundation warned that the decision to limit the number of worshippers to 150 people is 'dust in the eyes' and aims to deepen the division of the mosque. The foundation explained that this number does not fill a single row in the Qibli Mosque, which practically means keeping the mosque closed to Muslims and fully open to organized incursions by settlers.

The foundation considered that opening the mosque to invaders during the Jewish holiday after closing it throughout Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr proves the employment of war to change Al-Aqsa's identity. It also criticized the Supreme Court's delegation of authority to Minister Ben-Gvir to control the mosque's affairs, considering it an explicit annulment of the Jordanian role and the Hashemite custodianship over the holy sites.

Holy bodies issued a call to the Palestinian people to march towards Al-Aqsa Mosque and break the siege imposed on it by praying at the gates and thresholds. They stressed that imposing the opening of the mosque without restriction or condition is the duty of the hour to confront the Judaization attempts that have reached unprecedented levels of danger.

In conclusion, Al-Aqsa Mosque remains a sovereign and civilizational symbol uniting the nation, where Palestinian identity and existence intersect in the face of the occupation machine. The ongoing transformations necessitate the restoration of popular and official action to confront the partition projects that seek to transform the mosque into a shared holy site in preparation for its complete control.

The occupation seeks to impose new realities on the ground to implement its projects based on politically employed religious narratives.