Israel quietly reshapes Al-Aqsa status quo, paving way for broader Jewish rituals
Israeli police escort Jewish settlers to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem on 3 January 2023
Naif Zaidani writes in The New Arab on 24 September 2025:
Israel has steadily dismantled the decades-old status quo at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, forcing open the door to Jewish practices once deemed forbidden at the holy Islamic site, according to a detailed report in the right-wing daily Israel Hayom.
Practices once described by Israeli security officials as dangerous “red lines” and “ticking time bombs”- including Jewish prayers, group rituals, public singing, and even displays of Israeli national symbols inside the compound – are now increasingly tolerated under the watch of Israeli forces.
The report, published to coincide with the start of the Jewish new year, admits to what it calls “historic transformations” at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, where Jews believe their most sacred temple once stood.
It notes that restrictions on Jewish worship imposed after Israel’s 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem have been systematically eroded, while Jewish presence and ritual in the mosque compound have expanded “month by month”.
Police figures cited by the newspaper show that some 60,000 Jewish extremists forced their way into Al-Aqsa this year alone, compared with just 5,792 in 2010.
From secret to open defiance
Jewish morning and afternoon prayers are now performed openly in the eastern section of the mosque compound, with worshippers no longer hiding their actions.
Israeli police have permitted prostration, singing, and even the Israeli national anthem Hatikva. Weekly ceremonies marking the Jewish Sabbath are held inside Al-Aqsa, and the site is increasingly used for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other celebrations.
While Jewish prayer books, Torah scrolls, phylacteries, and shofars are still technically banned, Israel Hayom acknowledges that settlers regularly defy these rules.