Gaza Herald – The Israeli High Court is set to hear a petition Wednesday seeking to open Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to Jewish visitors on Saturdays, raising Palestinian concerns over further changes to the historical and legal status quo at the holy site.
The petition was submitted by activists associated with Israeli “Temple” groups and calls on Israeli authorities to end the current closure of the compound to Jewish visitors on Saturdays and allow entry and prayer on that day.
The campaign to open Al-Aqsa on Saturdays has intensified in recent months. Groups advocating Jewish prayer at the compound began publicly promoting the demand in July and later formed a committee dedicated to the issue. A conference supporting the initiative was held in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City on August 27, attended by Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi.
The petition was subsequently filed with the Israeli High Court on September 10, challenging the policy preventing Jewish entry to the compound on Saturdays.
Nasser al-Hadmi, head of the Jerusalem Committee Against Judaization, warned that the move forms part of a gradual effort to expand settler presence at Al-Aqsa and impose Jewish religious rituals inside its courtyards.
Al-Hadmi said allowing Saturday incursions could mark another step toward imposing a temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa, similar to arrangements imposed at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Israeli “Temple” groups have called on supporters to gather outside the court during Wednesday’s hearing and attend in large numbers. They have also called for prayers outside the courthouse and for supporters to display flags associated with the groups.
The Saturday campaign comes amid broader efforts by Israeli groups seeking expanded Jewish access and prayer at Al-Aqsa. Current entry arrangements generally allow non-Muslim visits from Sunday through Thursday, while such visits are suspended on Fridays and Saturdays.
Recent weeks have also witnessed organised Jewish prayer activities at the compound. Groups advocating the construction of a Jewish temple at the site organised collective prayers on September 3 and September 10 as part of their campaign to expand Jewish religious practices at Al-Aqsa.
Palestinian officials and Jerusalem activists have warned that the Saturday petition is not an isolated initiative but part of a broader campaign to change access arrangements and undermine the historical and legal status quo governing the holy site.
Al-Hadmi warned that opening Al-Aqsa to Jewish visitors on Saturdays could establish a new precedent that would be difficult to reverse and pave the way for further changes at the compound.
The campaign comes ahead of the Jewish holiday period, during which Israeli “Temple” groups are also mobilising supporters for increased visits and religious activities at Al-Aqsa.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
