Israeli settlers attempted to smuggle animals for ritual sacrifice into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound seven times during this year’s Passover festival. The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Governorate reported these incidents as the highest number of such attempts documented since the 1967 occupation began.
The provocations occurred while Israeli authorities kept the 36-acre compound, along with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, sealed off for 40 consecutive days. Israeli forces cited security concerns linked to the war between Israel and Iran for the extended closure.
Far-right "Temple Mount groups" capitalized on the empty courtyards to attempt the biblical rituals. On at least two occasions, settlers successfully reached the borders of the Old City with goats or sheep before authorities intercepted them. Israeli police detained at least 14 individuals on April 1 alone for similar attempts.
A strategy of encroachment
Suhail Khalilieh, a political analyst specializing in Jerusalem affairs, dismissed the police detentions as a "theatrical play." He argued the arrests are designed to mitigate local and international backlash while allowing for gradual changes to the status quo.
"The state’s refusal to permanently end these phenomena is, in itself, an imposition of gradual changes on the ground that will ultimately lead to a new reality," Khalilieh said. He described the push for sacrifices as a political tool aimed at asserting Israeli sovereignty over the site.
The historical status quo permits non-Muslims to visit the compound during specific hours but strictly prohibits prayer or religious rituals. The Jerusalem Endowments, or Waqf, holds exclusive jurisdiction over the site under the current legal framework. Traditional Orthodox Jewish teaching also prohibits entry to the compound.
Groups advocating for the destruction of the mosque to build a Jewish temple have increasingly used artificial intelligence to normalize their agenda. Activist Arnon Segal recently shared AI-generated images depicting Jewish families leading sheep into the compound.
Khalilieh warned that such imagery serves as a strategic threat by shifting fringe concepts into popular demands. He noted that the use of AI creates a false sense of consensus, which increases pressure on Israeli policymakers to adopt these acts as state policy.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the attempts as a weaponization of religious rituals intended to Judaise the mosque. While foreign ministers from several Arab and Islamic nations have protested the site's closure, analysts are calling for more robust diplomatic pressure to prevent further unilateral changes.
