Warnings of a 'historic aggression' targeting Al-Aqsa on Nakba Friday: A plan to break the rules of engagement

Tension is escalating in the occupied city of Jerusalem with the revelation of Israeli plans described as the most dangerous since the city's occupation in 1967. Extreme Temple groups, with broad political support, are seeking to impose settler incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque next Friday. This step gains extreme sensitivity as it coincides with the seventy-eighth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, and what is called the Hebrew anniversary of the occupation of the eastern part of the city, placing the mosque before an intense religious and political confrontation.

The International Jerusalem Foundation warned that the occupation authorities, in coordination with extremist organizations, aim to turn this occasion into a permanent season of aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The foundation indicated that the plan goes beyond mere traditional incursions, reaching an attempt to impose unprecedented Judaization facts aimed at changing the pure Islamic identity of the place and crossing red lines that have been stable for many years.

The great danger in this move lies in the occupation's attempt to break the protocol in place since 2003, which prohibits settler incursions on Fridays and Saturdays due to the large number of Muslim worshipers. The success of settlers in entering the mosque on these days would practically mean the collapse of what remains of the historical and legal 'status quo,' which grants the Jordanian Islamic Endowments Department exclusive authority to manage the mosque's affairs.

In the context of field movements, informed sources revealed that the plan includes creating a new evening incursion period next Thursday, to be a prelude to making it a permanent reality in the future. This approach aims to extend daily incursion hours to nine hours, effectively paving the way for the temporal and spatial division project sought by the far-right government.

For his part, Jerusalem affairs researcher Ziad Abheis affirmed that the coincidence of these calls with Friday turns the issue into a direct 'sovereignty battle' within Al-Haram Al-Sharif. Abheis explained that the dense Palestinian presence on Fridays represents the biggest obstacle to the occupation's ambitions, and therefore settlers seek to break this popular will by imposing their presence during the most sacred and attended times for Muslims.

According to analytical readings of the plan, Temple groups have developed multiple incursion scenarios, starting with an attempt to enter during the usual morning period. If this is not possible due to popular steadfastness, they plan to impose a sudden incursion after Friday prayers, a step that, if it occurs, would be the first of its kind in decades, and represents a dangerous escalation that could ignite the situation throughout the Palestinian territories.

On the political level, these movements are no longer mere demands from marginal groups but have received official cover from within the Israeli government and the Knesset. Twenty-two Israeli officials, including nine ministers and 13 members of parliament, signed a letter demanding that the police secure Friday incursions, reflecting a shift in the official Israeli position towards fully adopting the agenda of the religious far-right.

The right-wing organization 'By Our Hands' is leading a wide incitement campaign to mobilize the largest number of settlers to participate in these incursions, under the slogan of restoring 'Jewish rights' in the mosque. Observers believe that this mobilization reflects a state of fierce competition within the Israeli right-wing camp, where each party seeks to prove its worth to extremist electoral bases by targeting Islamic holy sites.

In this context, the role of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stands out, as he seeks to carry out a provocative incursion into the Dome of the Rock prayer hall or the Al-Qibli Mosque based on new religious fatwas. These provocative moves aim to undermine the role of the Islamic Endowments within the covered prayer halls, which represents an advanced stage of aggression aimed at full control over all facilities of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In the face of these threats, widespread Palestinian calls have been launched to intensify steadfastness and presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque starting from Thursday's noon prayer and continuing until Friday evening. Jerusalemite activists stressed the necessity of I'tikaf (seclusion for worship) inside the mosque despite strict security restrictions and checkpoints set up by occupation forces around the Old City to prevent worshipers from the West Bank and the occupied interior from reaching it.

A state of anticipation prevails regarding the position of the occupation police, who have not yet announced a final decision on whether to allow incursions, amid security fears of an explosion of the situation. This hesitation reflects the Israeli security agencies' awareness of the sensitivity of harming Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, and the unexpected popular and military reactions that may result.

The coincidence of these developments with the Nakba anniversary gives the confrontation a national dimension that transcends the religious dimension, as Palestinians see the defense of Al-Aqsa as a defense of their existence and national identity. Al-Aqsa Mosque represents in the Palestinian consciousness the first line of defense and the central symbol behind which all forces and activities unite in confronting liquidation and displacement projects.

Analysts believe that the coming days will be a real test of the Palestinian people's ability to protect their holy sites amidst widespread international silence and complicity from some parties. Popular resistance and steadfastness remain the last fence preventing the implementation of Judaization plans that have reached advanced stages of actual implementation on the ground with the encouragement of ministers of the extremist government.

In conclusion, what is being prepared for next Friday is not just a fleeting incursion, but part of a major strategy aimed at resolving the conflict in Jerusalem in favor of the Zionist narrative. The steadfastness of Jerusalemites and the results of this confrontation will have a significant impact on shaping the features of the next phase of the conflict over the identity of the holy city and the future of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The coincidence of events with Friday makes any potential incursion a battle for sovereignty aimed at establishing a new reality within Al-Haram Al-Sharif.