Israel Allows Largest Ever Group Of Jews To Pray At Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel allowed over 1,000 Jewish worshippers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, marking the largest number ever permitted by the authorities. The move is a departure from Israel's previous policy of allowing no more than 30 Jewish Israelis at a time into the site. The Islamic Waqf, which administers Al-Aqsa Mosque, reported that 1,200 Jewish Israelis entered the site on Wednesday, with over 4,000 having stormed the Muslim holy site since the Passover holiday began. Israeli police said they safeguarded visits to the Temple Mount in accordance with visitation regulations, but Muslim worshippers were prevented from entering the mosque. The scenes on Wednesday were described as unprecedented by Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Waqf, who warned that the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque was increasingly becoming a reality. The Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has long declared Jewish worship on Temple Mount forbidden unless worshippers are ritually pure, but many Orthodox Jewish settlers oppose this stance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed, but visits by Jewish settlers to the site have become increasingly routine. Some Israeli government members have openly called for Jewish prayer to be permitted at Al-Aqsa Mosque, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir even entering the complex on several occasions. The situation has worsened since the start of the war in Gaza, with Jewish religious practices on Al-Aqsa Mosque being encouraged and even backed by the authorities, according to Bazbaz. The increasing number of Jewish worshippers entering the site has raised concerns about the potential division of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the implementation of a form of apartheid or segregation.