In Jerusalem, organisations advocating for the so-called “Temple” agenda have launched a coordinated campaign, alongside several political figures including a member of the Knesset from the Likud party, urging that access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound be permitted on Friday 15 May 2026. The date coincides with the Hebrew commemoration of the city’s 1967 occupation, a moment already associated with heightened sensitivities and large-scale gatherings in the Old City.

Local authorities in Jerusalem have warned that the initiative represents a deliberate attempt to alter long-established arrangements governing access to the site. Fridays, when entry by non-Muslim visitors is traditionally restricted, are being directly targeted for the first time in such mobilisation efforts, raising fears of a serious breach of the existing status quo and further strain on an already fragile situation in the city.

The campaign has included calls circulated through activist networks urging supporters to contact the national security minister directly, encouraging political pressure to open the compound on that specific day. Some lawmakers have publicly framed the push as a matter of historical or ideological entitlement, while parallel initiatives have circulated pledges encouraging symbolic acts inside the compound, further intensifying concerns over the implications of such moves.

The timing of the initiative adds another layer of sensitivity, coinciding not only with the annual commemorations linked to 1967 but also with the 78th year since the displacement of Palestinians in 1948. Previous extended closures and restricted access periods have already contributed to heightened frustration on the ground, and observers warn that further attempts to impose new realities at the site risk triggering widespread unrest across Jerusalem.