Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex Again

Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem on Sunday (31 May) local time. The action was carried out by Jewish settlers under the protection of the Israeli police, amid Palestinian warnings about plans to ‘Judaize’ the sacred Muslim site. Omar Rajoub, Director of Media at the Jerusalem Authority, told Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor on Monday (1 June 2026) that Jewish settlers also raised the Israeli flag in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. ‘Raising the Israeli flag within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, alongside provocative rituals, is part of Israel’s systematic and deliberate official policy led by the extremist occupation government,’ Rajoub told Anadolu Agency. ‘These practices aim to impose a new reality in occupied East Jerusalem and undermine the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa,’ he said. Rajoub warned that ‘settlers’ actions inside Al-Aqsa are part of an ongoing colonial plan targeting the spatial and temporal division of the mosque, Judaizing the city to erase its religious and historical identity, and altering its legal, cultural, and demographic character.’ Furthermore, Rajoub described the settler incursion under police protection as ‘a blatant violation of international law’ and ‘wounding the feelings of Palestinians and millions of Muslims worldwide.’ He warned that the consequences of these violations are ‘serious, recurring, and unacceptable.’ ‘The Israeli government is fully responsible for this dangerous escalation,’ Rajoub stated in his remarks. He also called on the ‘international community and all nations to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities and take immediate action to stop the ongoing violations against the Palestinian people and sacred sites in occupied Jerusalem.’ Rajoub stressed that ‘the entire 144-dunam blessed area of Al-Aqsa is a dedicated place of worship for Muslims.’ Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam. For Jews, the complex is known as the Temple Mount or Mount of the Temple, claimed as the location of two ancient Jewish temples. Under the longstanding status quo, Jews are permitted to visit but prohibited from conducting religious rituals or praying within the sacred compound. Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed Jews to enter the Al-Aqsa complex daily except on Fridays and Saturdays. Palestinians view Jewish incursions into the sacred site as highly provocative. They consider such actions a violation of the site’s sanctity and an attempt to alter its religious status quo. Palestine regards East Jerusalem as the capital of its future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.