Israel formally allows Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in violation of status quo

Israel formally allows Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in violation of status quo Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Mon, 08/17/2026 - 14:44 Israeli police allow settlers to bring Jewish prayer books into Al-Aqsa, formalising group prayers and marking a significant breach of the decades-old status quo governing the holy site Israelis seen during a raid at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on 23 July 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP) Off Israeli authorities have formally allowed Jewish prayer for the first time inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, in the latest 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.