Doha: Qatari daily Al-Raya cautioned on Saturday that escalating Israeli provocations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including intensified settler incursions and calls to perform ritual sacrifices within the compound, pose a serious affront to more than a billion Muslims worldwide and reflect a deliberate attempt to appropriate the site and recast it within a Jewish historical narrative.
According to Qatar News Agency, in its editorial, "Warnings of Provocative Steps at Al-Aqsa," the newspaper argued that Israeli authorities -- backed by extremist ministers and settler groups -- are seeking to normalize such practices at Islam's third holiest site.
The editorial stressed that persistent efforts to undermine the mosque's religious and historical status constitute not only an assault on Palestinians but on Muslims globally. It warned that continued violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites risk exacerbating instability and fueling wider cycles of violence across the region.
The paper further asserted that attempts to impose control over Al-Aqsa are ultimately futile, dismissing what it described as unfounded and discriminatory claims to the site.
Al-Raya said Israeli authorities are deliberately inflaming tensions by allowing repeated incursions into the mosque compound and enabling extremist elements to operate freely in Jerusalem. Such actions, it argued, form part of a broader strategy to impose a fait accompli, including efforts to entrench temporal and spatial divisions at Al-Aqsa as a prelude to asserting full control -- an extension of a longstanding policy of land appropriation and displacement.
The editorial also highlighted warnings by the Jerusalem Governorate of a systematic escalation by extremist settler groups. These include attempts to introduce so-called "animal sacrifices" within the mosque's courtyards and to intensify incursions under the cover of religious and political occasions.
Citing official data, the newspaper noted that eight attempts have been documented since the start of the year -- during the Passover period -- to bring sacrificial offerings into the vicinity of Al-Aqsa, the highest number recorded since 1967. In three instances, settlers reportedly reached entrances near the compound before being prevented from proceeding.
The Governorate, the editorial added, warned of potential escalation on May 15 -- coinciding with "Jerusalem Day," marking the 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem -- and on May 22, during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, when further attempts to enter the compound and perform rituals may occur.
Al-Raya concluded by calling for urgent and decisive international action to restrain Israeli authorities, warning that continued escalation by the current government risks igniting a broader and potentially devastating religious conflict.