Israel has steadily dismantled the decades-old status quo at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, forcing open the door to Jewish practices once deemed forbidden at the holy Islamic site, according to a detailed report in the right-wing daily Israel Hayom.
Practices once described by Israeli security officials as dangerous “red lines” and “ticking time bombs”- including Jewish prayers, group rituals, public singing, and even displays of Israeli national symbols inside the compound - are now increasingly tolerated under the watch of Israeli forces.
The report, published to coincide with the start of the Jewish new year, admits to what it calls "historic transformations" at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, where Jews believe their most sacred temple once stood.
It notes that restrictions on Jewish worship imposed after Israel's 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem have been systematically eroded, while Jewish presence and ritual in the mosque compound have expanded "month by month".
Police figures cited by the newspaper show that some 60,000 Jewish extremists forced their way into Al-Aqsa this year alone, compared with just 5,792 in 2010.
From secret to open defiance
Jewish morning and afternoon prayers are now performed openly in the eastern section of the mosque compound, with worshippers no longer hiding their actions.
Israeli police have permitted prostration, singing, and even the Israeli national anthem Hatikva. Weekly ceremonies marking the Jewish Sabbath are held inside Al-Aqsa, and the site is increasingly used for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other celebrations.
While Jewish prayer books, Torah scrolls, phylacteries, and shofars are still technically banned, Israel Hayom acknowledges that settlers regularly defy these rules.
In August, nearly 100 settlers brought phylacteries into the compound. The following month, Haifa rabbi Aryeh Cohen blew a shofar there, leading to his temporary ban from the site.
"It is hard not to notice the change," activist and writer Arnon Segal told the paper. "What was once forbidden is now public, clear, and natural. Many perform the ancient prostration ritual. On the new month, the Hallel prayer is recited loudly with singing and dancing."
Ben Gvir's role
Much of this shift has taken place under National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, an extreme-right politician who has repeatedly spearheaded settler incursions into Al-Aqsa. He has pushed for expanded hours for Jewish access, which now stretch from 07:00 to 11:30 in the morning and 13:30 to 15:00 in the afternoon - longer than before.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally insists he maintains the "old status quo" but has in practice allowed Ben Gvir's approach to take hold, while keeping discussions on the matter under tight secrecy.
According to the report, Ben Gvir bluntly told Netanyahu that "what was in Al-Aqsa will no longer be", a position the prime minister accepted.
The Islamic Waqf, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have protested strongly but the report claims that they are grudgingly adjusting to the new reality.
Systematic erosion
The groundwork for these changes was laid years earlier under former public security minister Gilad Erdan and Jerusalem police commander Yoram Halevy, who weakened the role of the Islamic Waqf and banned the Palestinian Mourabitoun activists who confronted settlers during incursions.
Prayers that began as whispered and individual are now organised and audible. Halevy, who dismissed years of warnings from Israel’s security agencies that such practices could ignite regional conflict, claimed Jewish prayers at the site were "natural" and not a provocation.
The site is Islam's third holiest place, known as Al-Haram al-Sharif, where millions of Muslims worship and which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Muslims view the site as exclusively a place of Muslim worship, and Jewish prayer there is seen as an encroachment on its sanctity.
Israel regularly curbs Muslim prayer at the site through a range of restrictions under the guise of "security measures", resulting in limited access and control over Muslim worshipers. It has also reduced the role of Waqf guards.
The article notes that police now treat Jewish settler groups with deference rather than as a threat. Ultra-Orthodox participation in incursions has also grown, despite previous religious bans. Families with children, yeshiva students, and rabbis now enter the site regularly.
Former Shin Bet officials told the paper anonymously that Arab and Muslim governments, including Jordan, Egypt, and Syria, appear to be "adjusting" to the shift despite issuing occasional condemnations.
"The reality at Al-Aqsa will likely not return to what it was," one said. "Even if Ben Gvir leaves office, much of what has been entrenched will remain for future generations."