OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Jerusalem enters the month of May amidst a state of anticipation tinged with caution, with expectations of escalating tension in the vicinity of al-Aqsa Mosque during three consecutive Fridays, coinciding with Israeli religious and national occasions, amidst warnings of renewed Israeli attempts to impose field realities inside the Mosque.
Field estimates indicate that organizations linked to what is known as the “Temple” are preparing to intensify their incursions, within the framework of what they describe as “compensatory incursions,” to compensate for the closure period that lasted about 40 days during the Hebrew “Passover”, which raises fears of re-introducing attempts to bring religious and symbolic rituals into the courtyards of the Mosque.
Second Passover: The beginning of the escalation
The first stations of tension begin on Friday, May 1, with what is known as the “Second Passover,” which is a limited religious occasion, however, estimates warn against exploiting it as an entry point for attempts to bring “animal sacrifices” into al-Aqsa Mosque.
Estimates point out that the Thursday preceding the occasion may witness preliminary incursions, in light of the closure of the door for incursions on Friday, which may push those groups to intensify their activity on the previous day.
Jerusalem Day and the flag march … the peak of tension
As for the peak of the escalation, it is expected on Friday, May 15, which corresponds to what is called in Israel “Jerusalem Day,” the anniversary of the occupation of the city in 1967.
Usually, this day witnesses wide incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning hours, followed in the evening by the “Flag March” in the Old City, amidst calls from Israeli political and religious parties to raise the flag inside the courtyards of the Mosque under the protection of the police, in a step considered a symbolic escalation to impose manifestations of sovereignty.
Feast of Weeks … a third station for tension
The state of anticipation continues on Friday, May 22, with the biblical “Feast of Weeks”, which is one of the ancient pilgrimage holidays, and which is still exploited as an occasion for repeated incursions.
Estimates warn of the possibility of repeating attempts to bring sacrifices or religious symbols inside al-Aqsa, with preliminary movements expected on the Thursday preceding the occasion.
Calls for vigilance and early presence
In this context, the researcher in Jerusalem affairs, Ziad Ibhais, warned of the danger of the coming stage, emphasizing that “al-Aqsa is facing three occasions of aggression during three consecutive Fridays, practically distributed over six days between Thursday and Friday.”
He added in a statement to the PIC reporter that the “Temple” organizations may deal with the Thursdays preceding these Fridays as “compensatory incursion days”, in light of the closure of the door for incursions on Friday, while reviving their demands to storm the Mosque on this day as well.
Ibhais pointed to precedents that occurred during the last year, during which animal and plant sacrifices were brought into the courtyards of al-Aqsa for brief periods, before they were confronted, warning against the repetition of these attempts during the month of May.
He called for “heading to al-Aqsa Mosque, and for vigilance and early presence in the six specified days, to foil any attempts to impose new realities inside the Mosque,” emphasizing the importance of popular movement in supporting the Murabitin and maintaining the status quo in the Jerusalem Sanctuary.
