Al-Aqsa incursions intensify as Ben-Gvir-backed extremists push at Temple Mount

More than 2,000 Jewish extremists, joined by far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the al-Aqsa mosque compound in late July, praying and erecting tents at the site's centre under police protection—actions Arab states and Jordan have condemned as a "blatant provocation" threatening the decades-old status quo. Police are reportedly now recruiting settler activists into the unit policing the compound, signalling a deliberate push toward Jewish sovereignty over the site. The Temple Mount is central to biblical prophecy concerning a future Jewish temple, making any shift in control there a development worth close attention.