JERUASALEM, October 30, 2025 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Governorate warned of the dangers of the escalating and public activities of groups advocating for the construction of the alleged “Temple,” which have taken on a systematic and practical character aimed at directly harming the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and altering its historical and religious character.
In a statement issued today, the Governorate emphasized that the preparations, rituals, and activities currently underway are no longer merely religious aspirations or fantasies, but rather constitute an organized colonial project managed and supported by political and religious entities within the Israeli occupation system.
This project represents a dangerous attempt to impose complete Israeli sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with the alleged “Temple.”
The governorate noted that Temple Mount groups are openly intensifying their activities and preparations on the ground through their religious and educational institutions, most notably the Har HaBayit Yeshiva, which recently released videos documenting its preparations for building the alleged temple.
These preparations include training priests in animal sacrifices, sewing their own garments, and designing geometric models representing the alleged temple—a dangerous step aimed at preparing public opinion to accept the idea of building on the ruins of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The governorate pointed out that these practices coincide with continuous and extremist statements by the extremist Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is racing against time to impose a plan for the "temporal and spatial division" of the mosque and encouraging Temple Mount groups to intensify their mass incursions into the mosque's courtyards and ascend to what they call the "Temple Mount."
The Jerusalem Governorate added that the extremist incitement campaigns circulating on social media and in media outlets affiliated with these groups are now openly calling for the demolition of Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock to build the alleged temple in its place. They publish videos and drawings depicting the alleged construction process, calling for wider participation in the daily incursions.
These videos also reveal detailed plans for the new temple, clearly indicating that these groups are treating the project as a reality underway, not as a religious symbol or historical legend.
"These actions cannot be viewed in isolation from the official support that the "Temple" groups receive from the Israeli government, whether through direct funding or through the political cover provided by extremist ministers and officials, most notably Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and former Knesset members such as Moshe Feiglin and Yehuda Glick," the Governorate continued.
It explained that these groups operate in an organized manner within the framework of Israeli law and enjoy official recognition, granting them a false legitimacy that enables them to carry out dangerous Judaization projects. These projects include daily incursions into the mosque, the performance of Talmudic prayers in its courtyards, repeated attempts to bring animal sacrifices into the mosque, and campaigns to recruit young “priests” and expand popular participation in these aggressive activities.
The governorate emphasized that the activities of the Temple Mount groups are part of a comprehensive colonial plan aimed at altering the religious, political, and legal reality in Jerusalem. This plan involves seizing control of the largest possible area of Waqf lands, confiscating Palestinian homes, planting fake graves around Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Judaizing the city's Arab, Islamic, and Christian character.
These groups continue to promote the false narrative that Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on the ruins of Solomon's Temple and that the Western Wall is part of its remains—claims that have been refuted historically, religiously, and legally. However, these claims are exploited as a pretext to legitimize repeated incursions and dangerous excavations beneath the foundations of the mosque.
The Jerusalem Governorate asserted that the continuation of these provocative activities, amidst a suspicious international silence and the failure of UN institutions to fulfill their legal and moral obligations, emboldens the occupying government and its extremist arms to persist in implementing their Judaization and expansionist projects against the holy city and its holy sites.
It emphasized that turning a blind eye to these actions or treating them as routine is a grave mistake that could lead to disastrous repercussions affecting security and stability throughout the region. The Governorate stressed the urgent need for action from Arab and Islamic states and the international community to pressure the occupation to cease its violations and respect the historical and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Governorate stressed that what is happening today represents a dangerous stage of the Israeli aggression against Jerusalem and its holy sites, and that these systematic preparations to build the “Third Temple” are not just extremist religious rituals, but a colonial project aimed at uprooting the Arab and Islamic presence from the holy city. It called on all official, popular and media bodies to confront these plans with all possible legal, political and diplomatic means, and to intensify efforts to document the violations and expose the occupation’s practices to the whole world, in order to preserve Al-Aqsa Mosque.
K.T
