On Sunday, September 18th, 2023, a tense atmosphere prevailed in Al-Aqsa Mosque as hundreds of colonial Israeli settlers stormed its courtyards, performing Talmudic rituals and biblical prayers there and at its outer gates. During this time, Israeli occupation forces had already emptied the mosque of Palestinian worshippers and arrested dozens of young men.
More than 30 male and female individuals were also expelled from the Mosque in an attempt to enforce temporal division during the Jewish holiday season, which began with the Jewish New Year and will end with the holiday of “Yom Kippur” on October 7th.
The situation was noticeably ignited when Israeli occupation forces resorted to physical assaults and pushing to the ground policy against many male and female worshippers as well as preventing press crews from covering events in Jerusalem’s Bab al-Silsilah area. This resulted in wounds on the head of Abu Bakr al-Shami and bruises to Aida al-Saydawi and Nafisa Khweis.
For the first time, Al-Aqsa guards have been able to document the moment extremist settlers “blew the trumpet” inside the mosque and in the vicinity of the Bab al-Rahmah area. This transpired covertly during the past two years, but this time it is widely visible, lasting longer and being more challenging than the previous two years.
This perilous act is viewed as a step to assert “Israeli hegemony and sovereignty” over the holy mosque.
Hegemony and Sovereignty
Rasem Obeidat, Jerusalemite writer and political analyst, states that “Blowing the trumpet inside Al-Aqsa Mosque occurred secretly during the past two years, but yesterday witnessed a blatant violation with political implications, symbolizing Israel’s dominance and sovereignty over the mosque.”
It lays the groundwork for the transition from the Islamic era to the Jewish one and marks the approach of a ‘redemption’ date,” he adds.
“This Talmudic ritual implies that the mosque should become a specific place for Jewish worship during the two Jewish occasions “Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur,” he says.
He further adds that the “blowing of the trumpet” was first performed by the Chief Rabbi of the Israeli army, Shlomo Goren, in the Sinai Mountains when it was occupied in 1956, then at the Moroccan Quarter when East Jerusalem was occupied in 1967. Afterwards, this act has been repeatedly performed in the vicinity of the Al-Buraq wall.
According to Obeidat, the Temple groups are working to institutionalize the performance of Talmudic rituals inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. This includes invading the holy site by Jewish rabbis dressed in white priestly garments, performing epic prostration, attempting to bring plant sacrifices into its courtyards, and simulating alleged Temple-linked animal sacrifices.
He states that the settlers believe that what they do constitutes a revival of the entire Talmudic rituals related to the Temple Mount.
However, “I believe that this is a rehearsal for what is yet to come in terms of taking practical steps towards the establishment of the alleged Temple.” This suggests that these actions could be seen as symbolic preparations for more concrete efforts to establish a Jewish Temple within the Al-Aqsa compound.
In this regard, the Temple groups exerted a concerted effort to engage in as many Talmudic rituals as possible in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Hebrew New Year, taking advantage of the intensified Israeli soldiers’ presence in the area.
Obeidat sees that settlers seek to transform Al-Aqsa into a joint holy site, where they not only aim to divide it temporally and spatially but aspire to have a Jewish presence inside the mosque, not confining intrusions to just the Moroccan Gate area.
This underscores their broader agenda of asserting Jewish presence within the mosque compound, potentially challenging the long-standing status quo and historical significance of the site, which could further escalate tensions and potentially lead to confrontations in the region.
A New Chapter
As for Ziad Ibhais, the expert on Jerusalem affairs, he states that “Blowing the trumpet aims to declare Zionist sovereignty on the city, mark the end of the Islamic era in Al-Aqsa, and begin another era of Judaization.
It solidifies the transformation of the mosque into a joint holy place as part of a dream of religious substitution and turning it into a temple in its entirety. Therefore, it is a sign of the beginning of a new phase. It marks a separation between the Hebrew years, which they consider the start of the Day of Resurrection.
In the eyes of the Temple groups, it separates two eras: the era of Al-Aqsa Islamic identity, which they imagine has ended, and the era of its Judaization, which they believe has begun.
He clarifies that “the religious Zionist rabbis attach miraculous meanings to blowing the trumpet, among them that it is one of the signs of salvation, a herald of the Savior’s coming, and the construction of the mythical third Temple.
Therefore, they rush to blow it at Al-Aqsa Mosque, hoping that it will hasten the appearance of this Savior and prompt direct divine intervention to win the battle in their favour.
According to Ibhais, the Israeli aggression during Hebrew New Year marked the outset of a 21-day Israeli assault season during the “Days of Repentance,” “Day of Atonement,” and “Feast of the Throne.”
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