The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem is one of the holiest sites in the world and one of the most contested. Why is it so significant? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains.

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Let's talk about 1 of the holiest sites in the world.

We have Another session of violence here, right in front of the Al-Aqsa compound.

This is such a sensitive religious site, isn't it?

1 of the flashpoints that led to the 11-day conflict.

Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

And it's a place that you need to get your head around

you want to understand what's going on between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Here's the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, the place where Islam, Judaism and Christianity all intersect.

There are several sites here that are holy to all 3, including this big compound that rises above everything else.

Muslims call it Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which means the Noble Sanctuary, or the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or sometimes just Al-Aqsa.

Now right in the middle of everything is the Dome of the Rock.

It's an Islamic shrine where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

It's got a huge prayer hall with space for 5,000 worshippers.

The Al-Aqsa mosque got its name from a reference in the Quran that refers to a mystical night journey that the Prophet Muhammad made from Mecca to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, which means the furthest mosque.

And that was generally understood to be in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was the location of the first direction of prayer for Muslims and was later changed to Mecca.

Because of that, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina.

In Christianity, the site matters because of its significance in the Old Testament and because Jesus would have spent time there.

And it's also the most holy site in Judaism.

It's where 2 ancient Jewish temples once stood.

The first was destroyed by the Babylonians, the second stood for almost 600 years until it was destroyed by the Romans in the 1st century.

And according to Jewish teachings, the mount is where a third temple should be built when the Messiah, a saviour figure, is sent by God.

Now, for most of the last 800 years the compound was controlled by Muslim rulers and wasn't accessible to non-Muslims.

Traditionally Jewish law actually forbids Jews from entering or praying inside the Temple Mount because it's considered so holy a place of divine presence.

So Jews pray outside the compound at the Western Wall which is thought to have been part of the Second Temple.

Majority of Orthodox rabbis will say you are not allowed to visit.

What this means is that throughout the millennia the Temple Mount for Jews was a focus of devotion but there were no particular demands pending the coming of the Messiah.

That's when Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the six-day war between the Arabs and Israelis.

But when it came to al-Aqsa, the Israelis stuck with an arrangement that kept something called the Waqf in charge.

It's an Islamic trust that's run by Jordan.

Jordan would retain control over the actual compound itself, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

its administration, its upkeep, who could access the site, who couldn't access the site, you know, pray and worship.

And that whole arrangement is wrapped up in this idea known as the status quo.

It's a Latin phrase which means the situation as it is now.

But in this context, the status quo refers to how things are done at Al-Aqsa.

If I were to try and translate this into the description of a dynamic, The Holy Esplanade, Haram al-Sharif, Temple Mount, is exclusively a place of worship for Muslims that is open to the dignified and respectful visits of non-Muslims and in coordination with the autonomous authorities of the Waqf.

What actually happens in practice is another thing.

Because remember, Israel occupies East Jerusalem and has a heavy security presence in the Old City, including at the gates of the Al-Aqsa compound.

So effectively, it's the Israeli police, not the Waqf officials, who ultimately control who goes in and out.

There was a shift in the early 2000s, after the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation known as the Second Intifada.

We saw Israel then controlling not only the vicinity around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, but also the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound itself, taking control over security, access, and allowing increasing numbers of Jews to access the site.

The change in the Israeli perspective is, we're not your guests, we're your landlord, And we're going to show you that we're your landlord.

And what we're seeing is Israel increasingly exercising that control, and more and more accusations that they're breaking the agreed conventions of the status quo.

So there are lots of ways that the status quo has been violated.

Restrictions on Muslim worship, which is something that the Israeli occupation imposes quite frequently.

Sometimes age restrictions, usually limiting men of a certain age from entering the site if they feel that there may be protests or something happening.

We're also seeing more Jewish prayer, whether it's silent, but slowly it's becoming much more overt now.

But beyond that, There is a triumphalism, an ultra-national triumphalism, which is perceived as a violation of the sanctity of the site by Muslim worshippers and people in the Muslim world.

The backdrop to all of this is the growing power of far-right groups and religious hardliners in Israel.

For example, there is the Temple Mount movement that's been around for decades.

It brings together a range of groups who want to overturn the status quo.

Throughout the years, that fringe became less of a fringe.

And during the 1980s and the 1990s, it began to go mainstream.

And today, it is not only not a fringe, it is in power.

So you've got people like the new National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gavir, who entered the Al-Aqsa compound after only a few days on the job.

He says the arrangements that limit Jewish access are racist.

It's 1 thing to have a non-governmental entity or groups of individuals go, but when you have ministers going up to the site, it's very different.

He was effectively asserting what he had promised during his campaign, during the electoral run-up, which was Jewish supremacy and sovereignty over all of Israel.

That's why what Ben-Gavir did was so provocative.

The UN Security Council called a special session about it.

Because there's always the fear of how quickly things can escalate when it comes to al-Aqsa.

Like in the early 2000s, when a visit by the then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon triggered the second Intifada.

And In 2021, when Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, it all spiraled and led to an 11-day Israeli war on Gaza.

Haram al-Shu is both an explosive, but it is even more a detonator.

And when the climatic conditions are correct, what happens on the mountain can make the region erupt in flames.

So what happens there takes on an even bigger dimension.

And for Palestinians, it's become emblematic of their wider struggle.

The constant chipping away of their rights, their land and their identity.

It didn't get to 700,000 Israeli settlers in the occupied territories overnight.

It happened house by house, brick by brick, road by road, settlement by settlement.

And so that's what's happening with the status quo.

It is a slow, piecemeal process that the international community generally tolerates.

The Israeli government haven't faced any real costs or repercussions for those actions.

And so It's that impunity that allows them to keep pushing the envelope further each time.

YouTube channel to get notified the next time there's a new episode of Start Here.


Speaker 0: Let's talk about 1 of the holiest sites in the world. It's a place that's always in the news.

Speaker 1: We have Another session of violence here, right in front of the Al-Aqsa compound.

Speaker 2: This is such a sensitive religious site, isn't it?

Speaker 3: 1 of the flashpoints that led to the 11-day conflict. Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. And it's a place that you need to get your head around

Speaker 2: if

Speaker 3: you want to understand what's going on between the Israelis and Palestinians. Here's the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, the place where Islam, Judaism and Christianity all intersect. There are several sites here that are holy to all 3, including this big compound that rises above everything else. Jews call it the Temple Mount. Muslims call it Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which means the Noble Sanctuary, or the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or sometimes just Al-Aqsa.

Now right in the middle of everything is the Dome of the Rock. It's an Islamic shrine where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. And here is the Al-Aqsa mosque itself. It's got a huge prayer hall with space for 5,000 worshippers.

Speaker 1: The Al-Aqsa mosque got its name from a reference in the Quran that refers to a mystical night journey that the Prophet Muhammad made from Mecca to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, which means the furthest mosque. And that was generally understood to be in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the location of the first direction of prayer for Muslims and was later changed to Mecca.

Speaker 3: Because of that, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. In Christianity, the site matters because of its significance in the Old Testament and because Jesus would have spent time there. And it's also the most holy site in Judaism. It's where 2 ancient Jewish temples once stood. The first was destroyed by the Babylonians, the second stood for almost 600 years until it was destroyed by the Romans in the 1st century.

And according to Jewish teachings, the mount is where a third temple should be built when the Messiah, a saviour figure, is sent by God. Now, for most of the last 800 years the compound was controlled by Muslim rulers and wasn't accessible to non-Muslims. Traditionally Jewish law actually forbids Jews from entering or praying inside the Temple Mount because it's considered so holy a place of divine presence. So Jews pray outside the compound at the Western Wall which is thought to have been part of the Second Temple.

Speaker 2: Majority of Orthodox rabbis will say you are not allowed to visit. What this means is that throughout the millennia the Temple Mount for Jews was a focus of devotion but there were no particular demands pending the coming of the Messiah. All of that changed in 1967.

Speaker 3: That's when Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the six-day war between the Arabs and Israelis. But when it came to al-Aqsa, the Israelis stuck with an arrangement that kept something called the Waqf in charge. It's an Islamic trust that's run by Jordan.

Speaker 4: Jordan would retain control over the actual compound itself, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Its custodianship,

Speaker 3: its administration, its upkeep, who could access the site, who couldn't access the site, you know, pray and worship. And that whole arrangement is wrapped up in this idea known as the status quo. It's a Latin phrase which means the situation as it is now. But in this context, the status quo refers to how things are done at Al-Aqsa.

Speaker 2: Very simple. Muslims pray, non-Muslims visit. Full stop. If I were to try and translate this into the description of a dynamic, The Holy Esplanade, Haram al-Sharif, Temple Mount, is exclusively a place of worship for Muslims that is open to the dignified and respectful visits of non-Muslims and in coordination with the autonomous authorities of the Waqf.

Speaker 3: That's the theory anyway. What actually happens in practice is another thing. Because remember, Israel occupies East Jerusalem and has a heavy security presence in the Old City, including at the gates of the Al-Aqsa compound. So effectively, it's the Israeli police, not the Waqf officials, who ultimately control who goes in and out. Although it wasn't always so explicit.

There was a shift in the early 2000s, after the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation known as the Second Intifada.

Speaker 4: We saw Israel then controlling not only the vicinity around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, but also the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound itself, taking control over security, access, and allowing increasing numbers of Jews to access the site.

Speaker 2: The change in the Israeli perspective is, we're not your guests, we're your landlord, And we're going to show you that we're your landlord.

Speaker 3: And what we're seeing is Israel increasingly exercising that control, and more and more accusations that they're breaking the agreed conventions of the status quo.

Speaker 1: So there are lots of ways that the status quo has been violated. Restrictions on Muslim worship, which is something that the Israeli occupation imposes quite frequently. Sometimes age restrictions, usually limiting men of a certain age from entering the site if they feel that there may be protests or something happening.

Speaker 4: We're also seeing more Jewish prayer, whether it's silent, but slowly it's becoming much more overt now.

Speaker 2: There is Jewish prayer. I've seen it daily. But beyond that, There is a triumphalism, an ultra-national triumphalism, which is perceived as a violation of the sanctity of the site by Muslim worshippers and people in the Muslim world.

Speaker 3: The backdrop to all of this is the growing power of far-right groups and religious hardliners in Israel. For example, there is the Temple Mount movement that's been around for decades. It brings together a range of groups who want to overturn the status quo.

Speaker 2: Throughout the years, that fringe became less of a fringe. And during the 1980s and the 1990s, it began to go mainstream. And today, it is not only not a fringe, it is in power.

Speaker 3: So you've got people like the new National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gavir, who entered the Al-Aqsa compound after only a few days on the job. He says the arrangements that limit Jewish access are racist.

Speaker 1: It's 1 thing to have a non-governmental entity or groups of individuals go, but when you have ministers going up to the site, it's very different.

Speaker 4: He was effectively asserting what he had promised during his campaign, during the electoral run-up, which was Jewish supremacy and sovereignty over all of Israel.

Speaker 3: That's why what Ben-Gavir did was so provocative. Lots of countries condemned it. The UN Security Council called a special session about it. Because there's always the fear of how quickly things can escalate when it comes to al-Aqsa. Like in the early 2000s, when a visit by the then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon triggered the second Intifada.

And In 2021, when Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, it all spiraled and led to an 11-day Israeli war on Gaza.

Speaker 2: Haram al-Shu is both an explosive, but it is even more a detonator. And when the climatic conditions are correct, what happens on the mountain can make the region erupt in flames.

Speaker 3: Al-Aqsa is such a powerful symbol. So what happens there takes on an even bigger dimension. And for Palestinians, it's become emblematic of their wider struggle. The constant chipping away of their rights, their land and their identity.

Speaker 1: It didn't get to 700,000 Israeli settlers in the occupied territories overnight. It happened house by house, brick by brick, road by road, settlement by settlement. And so that's what's happening with the status quo. It's being eroded bit by bit. It is a slow, piecemeal process that the international community generally tolerates.

The Israeli government haven't faced any real costs or repercussions for those actions. And so It's that impunity that allows them to keep pushing the envelope further each time.

Speaker 3: YouTube channel to get notified the next time there's a new episode of Start Here.

See all Al Jazeera English transcripts on Youtube

Why Al-Aqsa is key to understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Start Here