Tensions are mounting in occupied Jerusalem as Israeli forces closed major roads on Friday morning to make way for a so-called “Judaization bicycle marathon,” blocking access to the Old City just as thousands of Palestinians made their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers. The closures have been widely condemned as a deliberate obstruction of worship and movement.

The marathon is part of a wider campaign by Israeli authorities to reinforce their claim over the city, promoting it as the “unified and indivisible capital of Israel.” This comes just days before the annual “Jerusalem Day” — commemorated by far-right groups as the anniversary of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967 — and seen by Palestinians as a day of mourning and defiance.

Extremist settler groups, including “Temple Mount is in Our Hands,” are mobilising their followers to storm the Al-Aqsa compound on 26 May, raising Israeli flags and performing religious rituals within its grounds. These provocative acts are widely viewed as attempts to impose new realities at one of Islam’s holiest sites and to push forward the agenda of constructing a so-called “Third Temple.”

Calls are growing across Palestinian and Arab communities for mass mobilisation and presence at Al-Aqsa to defend it from these planned incursions. Israeli forces have already released maps outlining the route of the annual “Flag March” — a highly provocative event known for inciting violence and tension, particularly as it snakes through the Muslim Quarter and up to Al-Aqsa’s gates.

As these escalatory measures unfold, Palestinians in Jerusalem are bracing for yet another assault on their sacred spaces, identity, and existence in the city. The coming days are likely to test not only the resolve of Palestinian Jerusalemites but also the international community’s willingness to uphold basic protections for religious freedom and heritage.