Rarely does a day pass without the extremist Religious Zionism movement raising new provocative issues such as annexing the West Bank or urging renewed war against Gaza. Yet, one of the most critical and dangerous files now increasingly dominated by this movement—represented primarily by extremist “Temple Mount” groups—is Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. These groups now regularly propose initiatives aiming to radically alter the mosque’s status quo at an unprecedented pace.
Recently, media reports highlighted significant developments as several current and former Israeli ministers and Knesset members from Netanyahu’s Likud party, Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, and Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit sent letters to both chambers of the US Congress (House and Senate), urging American lawmakers to officially recognize the Jewish people’s “eternal religious rights” to the “Temple Mount” (Al-Aqsa Mosque).
These developments coincided with provocative Purim incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, explicitly intended to humiliate Muslim worshippers and demonstrate Israeli dominance. Notably, Israeli authorities for the first time banned overnight Ramadan prayers on Fridays, reversing longstanding practices.
Soon after these escalations, leaked information surfaced about a new project extremist “Temple Mount” groups plan to implement during Passover, a season historically marked by increased violations against Al-Aqsa, including attempts to offer animal sacrifices within its premises. This project is titled “Ma’amadot.”
The term “Ma’amadot” originates from a Talmudic expression: “Without Ma’amadot, the heavens and the earth would cease to exist.” In ancient Jewish tradition, “Ma’amadot” refers to groups of priests from the tribes of Judah and Levi, tasked with continuously conducting religious rituals at the first and second temples, according to Jewish belief.
This religious myth holds that the performance of these rituals is essential to global stability, as the balance of the entire world depends on serving the temple—God’s house—whether it physically exists or not. Thus, these groups perceive their religious duties as universally crucial to preserving the planet itself.
Simply put, we are facing a group religiously obsessed with viewing themselves as central to cosmic existence. They believe their actions not only benefit their interests but also constitute a service to humanity, maintaining global harmony by observing complete worship rituals at the temple—which they identify as Al-Aqsa Mosque.
One prominent figure advocating this initiative is Professor Hillel Weiss, an extremist religious academic affiliated with the Sanhedrin Institute. His “Ma’amadot” project was swiftly embraced by the so-called “Temple Mount Administration,” part of the Religious Zionism movement.
The project’s goal is to establish a professionally trained religious group called “The Guards,” selected from 24 districts nationwide—similar to practices during the first temple era mentioned in the Torah’s Book of Chronicles. Candidates from each district, claiming lineage from the tribes of Judah and Levi, would undergo intensive training and then be fully dedicated to performing religious rituals in the “Temple” with authentic priestly attire and procedures derived from Jewish religious texts.
These priests would rotate duties according to scheduled shifts, each “guard” serving twice annually for one week. This would effectively revive ancient temple rituals within Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Jewish imagination.
Professor Weiss introduced his project with enthusiasm, stating, “This initiative will dramatically change the face of the Temple Mount. Imagine priests and Levites ascending in their religious garments daily, Levites singing daily, and offerings joyfully presented—even initially outside the Temple Mount.”
Weiss explicitly intends to alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque by instituting a permanent Jewish religious presence complete with specific attire, rituals, and instruments dictated by their religious mythology. This goes beyond the individual settlers’ occasional incursions and casual attire.
Repeated warnings highlight this dangerous progression—introducing specific religious instruments into Al-Aqsa to perform rituals, viewed as essential by these groups according to their mythical religious narratives.
The unprecedented aspect of this latest proposal is formally appointing religious officials resembling the existing Islamic Waqf-appointed custodians, imams, and guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. This shift would legitimize Jewish religious presence at Al-Aqsa, creating official roles, uniforms, instruments, and scheduled rituals. Daily settler incursions would evolve from spontaneous activities into structured, official roles resembling the Islamic administration, turning these extremists into official religious employees at Al-Aqsa.
The project’s severe implications lie in converting temporary incursions into permanent, institutionalized Jewish presence. Muslims would then be forced to accept dual administrations—Islamic and Jewish—within Al-Aqsa, significantly empowering Israeli state-sponsored dominance over Muslim rights.
This scenario mirrors events at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque, initially divided temporally and spatially, eventually resulting in Israeli authorities outright denying Muslims access on Ramadan Fridays this year—overturning even established sharing schedules.
Shared sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque is no longer a distant dream for these extremist groups but an active pursuit enabled by profound global silence and passive acceptance towards steadily escalating Israeli violations, especially during Ramadan. Israeli authorities have normalized their presence to the extent of arresting journalists and photographers openly amidst thousands of worshippers without provoking noticeable reactions.
This complacency emboldens Israeli steps forward, disregarding any potential popular backlash, believing Palestinian resistance has been subdued through intimidation and massacres in Gaza.
The Palestinian people must shake off silence and fear, recognizing that occupation thrives only if the people concede. This struggle of wills is ultimately decided by steadfast adherence to core principles, refusing compromises despite mounting pressures.
