Israel allows Jewish ritual at Al-Aqsa Mosque in unprecedented violation of status quo

Israeli authorities have formally allowed Jewish prayer for the first time inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, in an unprecedented violation of the site’s decades-old status quo. Israeli police allowed settlers raiding the site on Sunday to bring in siddurim, or Jewish prayer books, and perform group prayers, according to a Palestinian source from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. While such practices have occurred in the past, they have largely been carried out without official approval. The decision to officially permit them marks a significant shift. The source, who requested anonymity, said the move represented the latest breach of the site’s status quo. “There is an important distinction between coming to visit the site and coming to pray there,” the source said. “When I come to your place as a visitor, you impose your rules on me. But today, they come with their own rules. When the police officially allow that, it means, in one way or another, that you are allowing them to establish their own rules in the space,” he added. “This is an official breach of the status quo.” Read more: Israel allows Jewish ritual at Al-Aqsa Mosque in unprecedented violation of status quo Israelis seen during a raid at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on 23 July 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP)