Why Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a site of conflict between Israel and Palestine

Palestinians and the Israelis clashed at the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem on Monday (September 26). Hundreds of ultrantionalist Jews forcefully entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound under the protection of Israeli authorities for the second day in a row and attacked Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported. 

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that at least three Palestinians were injured. Israeli forces were also seen attacking women and elderly people with sticks and batons. 

Why the Jews entered the mosque:  The people from Jewish community entered the mosque on September 26 in the light of Jewish new year or Rosh Hashanah, which is from September 25 to September 27.

Some of those who entered the mosque also offered prayers, even though the general consensus among the orthodox Jews is that prayer is not allowed in the mosque compound. 

The clash isn't the first one and the structure has been a place of conflict since 1967, as Israel took over east Jerusalem after the Arab-Israel war. Palestinians have called out Israel's occupation and have also resisted the move by far-right Jews who express desire to demolish the mosque structure and in the Al-Aqsa compound and and make way for what they call a Third Temple. 

Why has the mosque been a site of conflict? The name Al-Aqsa means 'the farthest' in Arabic. The mosque compound has been contentious between the Jews and the Muslims for centuries. It is considered as the third holiest mosque in Islam after Al-Haram and Al Nabawi mosque.

• Muslims believe that Prophet Mohammad travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem one night and ascended to heaven from there. The Jews consider the Temple Mount as the sacred place in Judaism and they have a belief that it was once a site of holy temples.  
• The Jews consider the Al-Aqsa mosque as the "Tomb of Patriarchs". They consider it as a holy site and it is also known as the Temple Mount to Jews.
•  When Israel annexed east Jerusalem, including the Old City from Jordan during the Arab-Israel war, it declared unified Jerusalem as its capital. However, the move has not been recognised by the international community.  
• For Jews, the mosque is the holiest site in Judaism. It is believed to be site of two temples that were once the centre of Jewish kingdoms which existed in ancient times as per their scriptures.
• For the past few years, there have been several instances of violence when Israeli forces have entered the mosque with Jewish settlers and tried to force out Palestinians from the mosque. The most recent tensions erupted in April 2022 when Israeli Police entered the mosque compound and arrested around 300 Palestinians.