Gaza Herald – The Jerusalem Municipality issued a statement on Monday warning against attempts by so-called “Temple groups” to establish a new Jewish religious foothold in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The municipality described recent activities as part of an organized strategy that goes beyond seasonal rituals associated with Jewish holidays.
According to the statement, settlers have been conducting ceremonies in the cemetery located next to the eastern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the outside. These actions, particularly observed over recent weeks, are aimed at transforming the site into a recurring point for Jewish prayer and gathering.
The municipality noted that its monitoring of propaganda posts published by these groups on social media, along with the creation of a WhatsApp group named “Mercy Gates Open for Us,” reveals a deliberate promotion of a specific Jewish religious narrative. This narrative assigns special sanctity and importance to the eastern side of the mosque walls, specifically focusing on the Mercy Gate.
These efforts stem from beliefs linking the gate to the so-called Temple and the Shekhinah, or the spirit of God, as well as concepts regarding the Messiah and the return of the Shekhinah. The goal is to reposition the Mercy Gate as a accessible religious site for Jews to visit and pray.
Of greater concern is the transition from propaganda to practical steps, including calls for weekly Selihot prayers at the location. The municipality emphasized that the entire 144-dunum area of Al-Aqsa remains exclusively an Islamic place of worship, with its waqf status covering all courtyards, prayer halls, walls, gates, and landmarks.
It reiterated that the Mercy Gate is one of the gates of Al-Aqsa situated within its eastern walls. The statement asserted that occupation authorities possess no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its holy sites, nor any right to impose changes on the identity, nature, usage, or features of the mosque.
Warnings were issued that allowing the normalization of these practices or treating them as transient religious rituals would encourage Temple groups to expand their movements. They could potentially convert other points around Al-Aqsa into sites for assembly and prayer.
The municipality concluded that events at the Mercy Gate represent an organized path to impose a new Jewish religious reality. This process begins with normalizing and repeating rituals, eventually evolving into a permanent and habitual presence designed to cement new facts on the ground.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
