JERUSALEM, May 4, 2026 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Governorate warned against a campaign led by so-called “Temple Mount” organizations, in cooperation with political figures in the Israeli government, to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, May 15, 2026. This dangerous escalation aims to alter the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque and establish unprecedented precedents that violate the sanctity and religious significance of the site.
The Jerusalem Governorate, in a statement issued Monday, asserted that the choice of Friday—the day on which Al-Aqsa Mosque is closed to colonists incursions—reflects a clear intention to impose a new reality by force, an unprecedented move since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.
The statement noted that these calls coincide with what is known as "Jerusalem Day," which falls on Friday, May 15, 2026, and is typically accompanied by large-scale incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning and provocative marches in the Old City in the evening, most notably the so-called "Flag March," which witnesses attacks on the city's residents and the desecration of its streets and alleyways.
She explained that this occasion coincides with the 28th of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to June 7, 1967, the day the occupation forces seized the eastern part of Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. She noted that its coincidence this year with a Friday, in addition to its alignment with the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, exacerbates the seriousness of the situation and the potential for escalation.
The governorate indicated that the campaign includes organized actions, most notably the distribution by the “Temple Mount in Our Hands (Bedeinu)” organization of the personal phone number of the Minister of National Security in the occupation government, Itamar Ben-Gvir, to urge colonists to contact him directly and demand that the Al-Aqsa Mosque be opened to incursions on Friday, in an attempt to portray the decision as a response to “popular demands.”
The statement also noted that Likud MK Amit Halevi called for the opening of Al-Aqsa Mosque to colonists on that day, justifying this by what he termed the “right of Jews” to access the Temple Mount and linking it to what he called a “clash of civilizations.” These statements reflect a dangerous escalation, especially given his previous positions, which included a proposal to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque spatially between Muslims and Jews.
The statement added that the “Bedino” organization launched a petition for colonists, pledging to raise the Israeli flag inside Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, May 15, 2026, in an attempt to mobilize the largest possible number of people to participate in this aggression and impose a new reality within the mosque's courtyards.
The statement emphasized that colonists have never been able to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on a Friday since the occupation. However, recent measures, including the extended 40-day closure that encompassed several Fridays during and after Ramadan, have encouraged these groups to attempt to establish new precedents, which they consider “achievements.”
In the same vein, the Jerusalem Governorate recalled the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first day of Eid al-Adha in 2019, which coincided with the so-called "Tisha B'Av" (the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple). Then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facilitated the incursion after repeatedly announcing its prohibition, before police allowed it after the Eid prayer had concluded and most worshippers had left. This led to violent clashes inside the mosque, in what became known in Jerusalem's collective memory as the "Eid al-Adha wound."
The Governorate stressed that these actions represent a dangerous and systematic escalation, confirming the existence of an official policy aimed at imposing a temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque and undermining Islamic custodianship over it. It warned of the repercussions of these steps, which could ignite further unrest in the city and the region.
The governorate called on Palestinian people to commute to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and to be present in large numbers there to thwart these plans. It also called on the international community and human rights institutions to assume their responsibilities and to exert pressure to stop these violations, stressing that Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain an exclusive right of Muslims, and that all attempts to impose a fait accompli by force are rejected and condemned.
