More than 1,000 Jews raided the Al-Aqsa compound during Jewish holidays, which required the Israeli police force to completely vacate the mosque and its courtyards of hundreds of Palestinians who would stay in the mosque to worship.

Last week, Israeli police stormed the Al- Aqsa grounds and arrested more than 400 Palestinians, hurling stun grenades and tear gas inside the mosque of the Dome of the Rock. The attack damaged parts of the mosque, which triggered broad Arab and international anger and condemnation.

In the few hours that followed the raid and arrest of worshippers, Israel was subjected to rocket attacks from several fronts. There were also shootings and running over pedestrians which killed and wounded Israelis.

The most significant attacks came from Lebanon, as dozens of rockets targeted Israel, but there were also dozens of ballistic missiles from the Gaza Strip. Six rockets were also fired from Syria close to the occupied Golan Heights, as well as an Iranian drone from Syria which was shot down before it entered Israeli airspace.

Calls by Israeli settlers and some right wing cabinet members to intensify the onslaught on Al-Aqsa Mosque continued, which portends an escalation that may spread to several fronts. Israel, for its part, opted to impose a temporal and spatial division in Al- Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews.

The current situation in Jerusalem stipulates that freedom of worship at this site is for Muslims only, while followers of all religions are allowed to visit it without performing any religious rituals. This is stated in the framework of an understanding dating back to the Ottoman era.

Ziyad Al-Hamouri, a specialist in Jerusalem affairs, said, “Israel has succeeded in imposing a new fait accompli regarding the temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The uptick in settler incursions during Jewish holidays, expulsion of worshippers from Al-Aqsa, and the allocation of times and places for settlers is a strong indicator of the temporal and spatial division of the Al-Aqsa compound.”

Al-Hamouri told Al-Ahram Weekly that there are “attempts to increase the spaces and times for settlers to enter, and Israel has reduced the number of worshippers at the mosque during Ramadan. This is a strategy by settlers who want to legitimise their religious rituals at the Holy compound.”

Sheikh Akrama Sabri, the preacher of Al- Aqsa Mosque and head of the Supreme Islamic Commission, confirmed that extremist Jewish groups continue to demand making sacrificial slaughters inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. This will inevitably lead to an explosive situation in Jerusalem and cause serious repercussions.

“Extremists are calling for more raids of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Sabri told the Weekly. “They want to practise Talmudic rituals inside the compound, which contradicts the status quo that grants freedom of worship at the mosque to Muslims only.” He stressed that during their raids, settlers want to practise rituals such as praying while fully prostrate on the ground and making sacrificial slaughters. Meanwhile, the Israeli police are trying to prevent sacrificial offerings from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Some Jewish fanatics want to bring sacrificial animals such as goats and sheep into the mosque for slaughter, which is a ritual that is part of the Passover celebrations and a key indicator of Jewish presence at Al-Aqsa, according to their beliefs.

The Israeli prime minister held four security meetings to discuss whether to allow settlers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan. This led to fissures within his cabinet, especially for extremist government Ministers Itmar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who on principle reject any halt on incursions.

Netanyahu, however, is worried that a war on multiple fronts would erupt if tensions continue to rise at Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially as the Israeli army blames Hamas for rocket launches from Lebanon towards Israel. Israel has bombed alleged Hamas targets in the town of Tyre in southern Lebanon.

In a speech on Monday evening, Netanyahu said he would not allow Hamas to form a military infrastructure in Lebanon, and that he is willing to strike against any source of security threat to Israel on several fronts.

During his address at the Ministry of Defence, Netanyahu added that Israel’s power of deterrence was gravely damaged due to domestic events and divisions. He attempted to rectify some of the aftermath by emphasising that Defence Minister Yoav Gallant would in fact continue in his post. Gallant’s dismissal had wide repercussions in increasing the rifts in Israeli society and inside Netanyahu’s Likud Party.

Naji Al-Battah, a political analyst, said, “The Israeli army may launch a broad military operation in the Gaza Strip, alongside limited strikes on the northern front with Lebanon and Syria, to cause the most damage to the infrastructure of Hamas and armed factions.” Al-Battah told the Weekly that Netanyahu’s government “needs to launch a military campaign against Hamas and armed factions in Gaza, because that would unite the domestic front in Israel, also because Israel believes Hamas is responsible for security tensions on all fronts.”

The political analyst believes that a broad military campaign against Gaza is inevitable.

He noted that firing rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel threw Tel Aviv off balance in responding to and dealing with this escalation, especially since Hizbullah sent messages through several mediators that it was not responsible for the attacks. At the same time, Hizbullah allowed Hamas to carry out this operation and open a new front against Israel from Lebanon, without burdening itself by slipping into an all-out confrontation.

Netanyahu’s dilemma continues as he tries to restore what Israel calls “power of deterrence” on the one hand, and avoid being drawn into a full confrontation in which Israel may be exposed to rocket fire from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and even Yemen and Iraq on the other.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper stated, “Iran has for a long time sought to transfer its conflict with Israel to its immediate borders, and that Tehran’s support of Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad has been key to this strategy over the past decades.”

The newspaper continued that this calibre of threat is unprecedented, especially since rockets were fired from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza within a short period of time. Israel must prepare to deal with such a threat, which has evolved from theory into reality.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly