Al-Aqsa Complex Eroded by New Jewish Religious Reality
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate has warned of Israeli efforts to impose a “new Jewish religious reality” around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. This new reality includes Jewish rituals and acts of worship repeatedly performed at the Bab al-Rahma cemetery, along the eastern wall of the mosque complex.
“The various rituals held in recent weeks go beyond the seasonal rituals associated with Jewish holidays, and have opened the way for turning the site into a place of Jewish worship,” the governorate said in a statement on Monday (14/9/2026).
The governorate has also been monitoring posts by “Temple Mount groups” on social media, including the creation of a WhatsApp group named “Gate of Mercy, open for us”, which promotes a Jewish religious narrative by assigning sanctity and special significance to the eastern side of the Al-Aqsa wall, particularly Bab al-Rahma.
The Temple Mount groups refer to a number of Jewish nationalist and religious organisations and movements that target Jerusalem, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and call for the construction of the claimed Jewish temple at the site.
“The narrative seeks to portray Bab al-Rahma as a Jewish religious site, which can be accessed and used for worship,” the governorate said.
The report added that these efforts have entered a practical stage through calls for weekly worship at the site, with the measures being linked to Uri Ohayon, a former Israeli army officer.
Based on the local government’s monitoring, Ohayon began promoting the idea on 16 August and held the first gathering on 27 August, followed by two further gatherings on 3 September and 10 September. The activities included congregational prayers and rituals alongside Muslim graves, it said.
“The Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 35.6 hectares, is a place of worship entirely dedicated to Muslims,” the governorate affirmed.
Its waqf status also covers the entire courtyard, prayer spaces, walls, gates, and various sites. Bab al-Rahma is also one of the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and is located within its eastern wall.
The governorate also stressed that Israel holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or the holy sites there. Israel likewise has no right to impose changes to the mosque’s identity, character, use, or distinctive features.
The governorate further warned that allowing such practices to become commonplace, or treating them as fleeting religious rituals, would encourage Temple Mount groups to expand their activities and turn new points around Al-Aqsa into gathering places for rituals and worship.