"Al-Aqsa Mosque has a sanctity and religious [significance] for the Palestinian people and for Arabs and Muslims as [the first direction in which early Muslims prayed] and the site of the Prophet Mohammad’s journey and ascension to heaven,” Shtayyeh said according to WAFA.

The prime minister called for an Arab, Islamic and international response that "goes beyond denunciation and condemnation" to end any violation of the holy grounds. 

Last week, a Knesset member from the ruling right-wing Likud party proposed legislation that would divide the holy grounds into two separate sections between Palestinians and Israeli settlers. The proposed legislation would give Palestinians access to only 30 percent of the religious compound, with the rest being reserved solely for Israeli settlers to pray.

The area allotted for the Israeli settlers includes the Dome of the Rock, which was built under the Umayyad caliphate and is one of the oldest surviving Islamic shrines.

Under a longstanding status quo that has been in place since 1967, non-Muslims can visit the site at specific times but are not allowed to pray there.

However, Israeli settlers and politicians routinely violate the arrangement under heavy police protection. On 4 June, Israeli settlers led by extremist Israeli rabbi and MP Yehuda Glick stormed the compound to pray. Before that, on 21 May, Israel's right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the holy site.

Responding to these threats, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Mohammad Hussein warned that such an action could trigger a religious war, according to Quds News network.

This new amendment would constitute a violation of international law governing occupations, under which the occupier is not allowed to make fundamental changes to occupied territories.