Israeli police raids of al-Aqsa mosque are considered by Muslims as a major provocation, and have in the past led to violent escalation. But the specifics of the agreement are constantly changing, says Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank. Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967, and considers both East and West Jerusalem part of its “eternal capital.”Ī “status quo” arrangement between Israel and Jordan governs the Muslim and Christian holy sites there.

The al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Muslims as Al Haram Al Sharif, is the third holiest place in Islam, and is the holiest site in Judaism, known to Jews as Temple Mount.Īl-Aqsa mosque and its surrounding complex are located in the Old City, in the eastern sector of Jerusalem, which most of the international community considers to be under Israeli occupation. Here’s how the situation developed, and why this year’s violence is particularly a cause for concern: The violence also took place as Israel grapples with the aftermath of mass protests over a controversial judicial overhaul, which only slightly waned last week after a pause was announced, leaving the country deeply divided. Muslims have been marking the holy month of Ramadan, while Jews are celebrating Passover. On Friday, a shooting in the occupied West Bank targeting a group of settlers as they drove killed two sisters and critically injured their mother in what Israeli police described it as a “terror attack.” Hamas and Islamic Jihad praised what they called a “heroic operation.” This year’s violence takes place at sensitive time for both Israelis and Palestinians.

The situation on the ground however remains tense. Israel launches strikes in Lebanon and Gaza after barrage of rockets fired across border The Israeli military struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Friday, pushing the region closer toward a wider conflagration after a day of rocket fire along the country's northern and southern borders following two days of unrest at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site. Smoke and fire rise from an explosion caused by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City, early Friday, April 7, 2023.

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