Israeli police allow Jewish prayer sheets at Al-Aqsa in breach of status quo

Israeli police permitted Jewish worshippers to bring printed prayer sheets to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Wednesday, in the latest breach of the Status Quo on the city's holy sites.

The move followed a request to the police from the Temple Mount Yeshiva, whose students distributed the liturgical material to Jewish visitors waiting to visit the site.

The Temple Mount movement in Israel aims for the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the building of a Jewish temple in its place - a position advocated by extremist Jews and settlers.

The Temple Mount Yeshiva encourages Jews to visit and pray at the site, according to the group's website, which also features pictures of its members posing in front of the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa compound.

“In order to maintain the existing order, it was determined that the use of these sheets would be limited solely to specific areas defined by the police,” Israeli police were quoted by the Times of Israel as saying.

Under the Status Quo agreements between Israel and Jordan, which has custodianship of Muslim and Christian Holy sites in Jerusalem, non-Muslim prayer is forbidden at the Al-Aqsa compound.

Extremist Jewish groups and settlers have attempted to smash the status quo by regular raids on the area, which is considered one of Islam's holiest sites.

One Jewish activist quoted by the Times of Israel said that allowing the entry of printed Jewish prayers was simply cementing the reality of Jewish incursions on the site.

"Jews have been bringing prayer pages and books onto the Temple Mount for a long time, even if the police didn’t always want to see it. What happened now is simply the police officially approving what is already happening on the ground," said Akiva Ariel, the CEO of Beyadenu, a group which describes one of its goals as the realisation and application of "full Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount".

"We are moving forward until prayer on the Temple Mount becomes a normal and routine reality," he said.

Another Jewish activist who spoke to the Israeli outlet said that the printed prayers were previously the subject of searches by Israeli forces at the Al Aqsa compound.

In recent years, Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa compound have increased in frequency, particularly under the watch of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has personally led incursions on the site.

These raids, often carried out by settler groups under police escort, involve the performance of unsanctioned Jewish prayers at the Muslim holy site.

Amid the increased raids, the Palestinian Governorate of Jerusalem warned in October of moves by extremist Jewish groups to target, and ultimately destroy, Al-Aqsa Mosque to replace it with the so-called "Third Temple".