Warnings of a Compound Aggression on Al-Aqsa on the Anniversary of Jerusalem's Occupation: Plans to Break the 'Status Quo' on Friday

The occupied city of Jerusalem is anticipating a dangerous escalation by the occupation authorities and alleged Temple organizations on May 14th and 15th. These warnings coincide with the 59th Hebrew anniversary of the occupation of the eastern part of the city, amid fears of imposing historical precedents that affect the identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation's strategy on this occasion relies on dividing the aggression into two parallel tracks; the first begins with intensive incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the morning and afternoon periods. This track aims to demonstrate what is called 'Israeli sovereignty' by raising flags and performing collective epic prostration rituals within the mosque's courtyards.

The second track is the provocative 'Flag March' which starts from West Jerusalem towards its Old City, reaching the Damascus Gate plaza. This march involves widespread attacks on Jerusalemites and their properties, in an attempt to entrench Zionist hegemony over the historical streets of the holy city.

Field data indicates that the occupation this year seeks to achieve three escalating goals, the first of which is to impose the usual incursion on Thursday as a compensatory alternative for Friday. Settlers aspire to break the record number of infiltrators, which exceeded 2,100 last year, amid tight security protection.

Serious concerns have emerged about the National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, storming the covered prayer areas such as the Dome of the Rock or the Qibli Mosque. This potential step comes based on new rabbinical fatwas aimed at enhancing his political standing before the upcoming Israeli elections and undermining the role of Islamic Endowments.

The second goal is an attempt to impose a third evening incursion period starting after the Asr prayer, a demand put forward by dozens of Zionist politicians to the occupation police. This step, if implemented, would extend daily incursion hours to nine hours, permanently entrenching the temporal division of the mosque.

The biggest challenge lies in the third goal, which is an attempt to organize an official incursion by settlers on Friday, something that has not happened since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967. Through this, the occupation seeks to abolish the specificity of Islamic days and occasions, and to equate 'Islamic right' with Jewish claims in the mosque.

In recent days, there has been intensive political activity within the Zionist right-wing camp, where 22 politicians, including prominent ministers in the Likud party, signed a petition demanding the opening of Al-Aqsa to infiltrators on Friday. The signatories include influential names such as Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin and War Minister Israel Katz.

Observers believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's silence regarding these demands reflects his desire to keep the decision in his hands until the last moment for political maneuvering. This behavior is similar to what happened during the Eid al-Adha incursion in 2019, when he reneged on his promises to prevent the incursion and allowed the police to enforce it by force.

For its part, the occupation police announced extensive security arrangements including closing main streets and securing the events of what is called 'Jerusalem Unification Day'. However, the security agencies deliberately remained vague about the arrangements for Friday, which reinforces the hypothesis of preparing for a field surprise targeting worshipers.

The occupation's plans face a fundamental dilemma, which is the expected dense Palestinian presence in the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially on Friday. The human presence and steadfastness in the mosque's courtyards have historically proven their ability to thwart division and control plans, as happened in previous uprisings.

These threats evoke the memory of the 'Sword of Jerusalem' battle in 2021, which was launched in response to similar incursion attempts during the blessed month of Ramadan. Jerusalemites affirm that violating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa on Friday represents crossing all red lines that could ignite the situation in all Palestinian territories.

The coincidence of these aggressions with the 78th anniversary of the Nakba adds an existential dimension to the current confrontation in Jerusalem. The Zionist establishment is trying to exploit regional and international circumstances to finally liquidate the issue of Jerusalem, by transforming Al-Aqsa Mosque from a purely Islamic holy site into a shared arena.

The first and last bet remains on the steadfastness of the steadfast and their ability to travel and intensify their presence in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The cohesion of the popular movement in Jerusalem with support from within and abroad represents the real shield capable of repelling waves of aggression and protecting the city's Arab and Islamic identity.

Steadfastness in Jerusalem and its support by popular movement are the remaining fence to defend Al-Aqsa in the face of historical waves of aggression.