JERUSALEM, September 15, 2026 (WAFA) — The Jerusalem Governorate of the Palestinian Authority today warned of escalating moves by so-called Temple groups seeking to alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque by shifting their demands from incitement, incursions and rituals to political and judicial channels.
The governorate said the latest demand is to open Al-Aqsa Mosque to Israeli colonists on Saturdays, coinciding with an Israeli court hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, on a petition seeking such access.
In a statement, the governorate said the demand to open Al-Aqsa on Saturdays is not an isolated development but part of an organized campaign that has intensified in recent months. It noted that so-called Temple groups held a conference on August 27 attended by Israeli political figures, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Knesset member Amit Halevi, to call for opening the site to Jews on Saturdays. Israeli media also reported the two officials' participation in the August 27 conference and their calls to open the Temple Mount on Saturdays.
The governorate said the campaign moved to the judicial sphere on September 3, when a petition was submitted to the Israeli Supreme Court seeking to change the policy preventing Jews from entering the mosque compound on Saturdays.
It said the court is scheduled to hear the petition tomorrow before a three-judge panel, warning against framing the demand as a matter of “equality” or “freedom of worship,” saying its substance is an attempt to redefine rules governing access and use of Al-Aqsa Mosque and establish a new day for colonists to enter the site, paving the way for regularizing the practice and imposing rituals and prayer there.
The Jerusalem Governorate stressed that Al-Aqsa Mosque, covering its entire 144-dunam area, is an exclusively Muslim place of worship. It warned that attempts to allocate specific days or hours for its use constitute a direct challenge to the established historical and legal status quo and could pave the way for the imposition of temporal and spatial division of the mosque.
The governorate called for confronting these efforts and protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque's religious and legal identity and status.
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