As Israel’s annual Flag March approaches, tensions are once again surging in occupied Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders are sounding the alarm over provocative calls by settler groups to fully open the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for unrestricted access—an act seen as an overt attempt to assert dominance over one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Haron Nasser Al-Din, a senior Hamas official, warned that such calls represent a dangerous escalation in the effort to Judaize the site and impose Israeli sovereignty over the compound. These demands come on the heels of repeated raids and rituals led by settlers under the protection—and encouragement—of far-right Israeli officials like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

For Palestinians, this is not merely a matter of prayer rights. It is an existential battle over heritage, sovereignty, and survival. With West Bank residents barred from Jerusalem, Palestinians inside the 1948 territories are being urged to fill the courtyards of Al-Aqsa and stand guard.

The symbolism of the Flag March—often marked by chants of supremacy and aggressive settler behaviour—is not lost on those who see Al-Aqsa as the last red line. Whispers on settler platforms of demolishing the mosque to make way for a so-called Temple are no longer fringe rhetoric—they are growing louder, and more dangerous.

In a city suffocating under occupation and erasure, Al-Aqsa remains a beacon of resistance. But that beacon is under siege. The world must no longer look away.