Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem have issued an urgent warning against a provocative campaign by Jewish temple groups, backed by senior Israeli officials, to storm and desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, May 15, 2026.

In a strongly worded statement released Monday, the institutions condemned the planned mass incursion as a “dangerous escalation” designed to shatter the longstanding historical and legal status quo at the sacred Islamic site and impose a new reality of Israeli domination.

“Choosing Friday, a day of heightened worship for Muslims, reveals clear intentions to forcibly create a new fait accompli at Al-Aqsa,” the statement read. “This represents an unprecedented violation not witnessed since the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.”

The call for mass settler entry coincides with the Israeli commemoration of “Jerusalem Day,” marking the 59th anniversary of Israel’s military occupation of the eastern part of the city during the 1967 war. Palestinian residents and worshippers view the timing as a deliberate provocation aimed at humiliating Muslims and asserting exclusive Israeli control over one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Temple activist groups have openly launched a mobilization drive urging settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound under heavy police protection, raise Israeli flags inside its sacred grounds, and conduct tours that Palestinians see as direct acts of desecration. Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi has reportedly pressed far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to authorize and facilitate these incursions.

In response, Jerusalemite institutions have called on Palestinians across the occupied territories and within the Green Line to mobilize en masse and reinforce their presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque to defend it from these extremist attempts. They emphasized the religious duty of Muslims worldwide to protect the sanctity of the third holiest site in Islam.

The institutions also appealed to the international community, Arab and Islamic nations, and human rights organizations to intervene immediately and exert pressure on Israel to prevent further violations and protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque from systematic attacks.

For decades, Israeli authorities have gradually eroded Muslim control over the compound through repeated incursions by settlers and far-right politicians, often accompanied by restrictions on Palestinian worshippers. Palestinians and their supporters regard these actions as part of a broader strategy of Judaization of occupied East Jerusalem and the gradual displacement of its indigenous Arab population.

As tensions mount ahead of May 15, fears are growing that the planned provocation could ignite widespread unrest across the occupied Palestinian territories and beyond. (ILKHA)