Blatant Violation of Al-Aqsa’s Sanctity: Settlers Storm Dome of the Rock and Perform Talmudic Rituals on Temple Destruction Memorial Day

ALDAR / ZAKARIAE EJJABRI

In a provocative scene that deeply offends Muslim sentiments and constitutes a fresh violation of the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, dozens of Israeli settlers stormed its courtyards early Sunday morning, specifically targeting the northern area of the Dome of the Rock. The settlers performed loud, collective Talmudic prayers as part of the observance of the so-called “17th of Tammuz Fast,” a day marked by religious Jews in commemoration of what they refer to as the “destruction of the Second Temple.”

The disturbing scene was captured on video by Jerusalem-based activists and took place under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation police, who secured the settlers’ entry into the mosque compound in the early hours and provided them with full security as they performed religious rituals — which are prohibited under the established historical and legal status quo governing the Al-Aqsa compound.

These violations come amid a noticeable escalation in the frequency of organized settler incursions, especially during Jewish religious occasions. Extremist groups often exploit such events to impose new realities on the ground at Al-Aqsa, as part of ongoing efforts to Judaize the mosque and implement a temporal and spatial division of the holy site.

The “Fast of the 17th of Tammuz” is one of the most significant occasions for settler escalations. According to Jewish tradition, it marks the day the ancient city’s walls were breached by enemy forces, paving the way for the destruction of the Temple.

Jerusalem-based institutions and bodies have strongly condemned these actions, warning of the dangerous consequences of violating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which they affirm as an exclusively Islamic place of worship where no non-Muslim rituals are permitted. They stressed that the international community’s silence in the face of these repeated violations only emboldens the Israeli occupation to continue its Judaization policies.

Palestinian religious and national figures have called on Muslims to intensify their presence at the mosque and to confront these incursions. They also urged Arab and Islamic nations to take swift and decisive action to protect Al-Aqsa and to halt the ongoing Israeli encroachments on Muslim holy sites.

Amid these developments, Israeli authorities continue to impose severe restrictions on Palestinian access to the mosque, particularly targeting young people. These measures aim to empty the courtyards for settler incursions and risk sparking serious escalation that could lead to an explosion of tensions in the occupied city.