Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem.

⁴¹ “And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, ⁴² saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, ⁴⁴ and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.” — Luke 19:41-44

SkyNews UK: To Jews, the site is known as the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock.

They believe it is where King Solomon built the first temple 3,000 years ago. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, but it remains the most holy site in Judaism.

The Western Wall is the only remaining supporting wall of the original temple and is just yards from the two Islamic mosques.

Today, it is the only place on the site where Jews can pray and it is the focus of Jewish worship the world over.

Who controls the site?

Israel captured Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Al Aqsa compound, in the 1967 Six-Day War.

it was agreed after that conflict that Jordan would remain the custodian of the holy hilltop site and appoint a trust called the Waqf to oversee it.

Jews and other religions are allowed into Al Aqsa compound at certain controlled times of the day but are forbidden to pray there.

This agreement is known as the status quo.

In reality, Israeli police control security in Jerusalem, giving them considerable power over who can enter or leave Al Aqsa.

They often storm the compound which results in violent confrontations with Palestinian worshippers.

For Palestinians living in the West Bank, access to Al Aqsa can be hard; for Palestinians living in Gaza, it’s almost impossible.

Some Jews, unhappy with the status quo, try to openly pray in the grounds of the compound in defiance of the rules and Israeli police are often accused of turning a blind eye.

There are also some Jewish activist movements that want to retake the compound and build a new synagogue there. Some of those individuals are now ministers in the Israeli government.

Palestinians and Arab states across the Middle East worry that Israel will gradually retake the site and so it has long been a flashpoint for violence, especially during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

SkyNews UK. April 8, 2023