Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher warns of changing religious status quo

Sheikh Akramah Sabri, a preacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, has warned of escalating Israeli incursions and religious practices during Jewish holidays that aim to establish a new religious and political reality at the site.

Sabri noted that the current developments extend beyond mere increases in the number of settlers entering the mosque. He highlighted the expansion of public rituals, the performance of Talmudic rites, and the presence of Israeli political officials performing ceremonies within the compound. He cautioned that these actions, often occurring under official or police protection, are intended to transition from being exceptions to becoming established norms, potentially leading to a temporal and spatial division of the mosque.

Recent statistics indicate a significant rise in activity. In September, 1,731 settlers entered the mosque on a single Monday. According to Jerusalem Governorate data, more than 40,661 settlers have entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of the year through the end of August. Additionally, approximately 800 decisions have been made to ban residents of Jerusalem from the site since the start of the year.