The world’s preoccupation with Syria and the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace talks have provided radical Israelis with the long-awaited opportunity to establish a regular Jewish presence on land around Islam’s third-holiest mosque, which they consider the holy Jewish Temple Mount. What was a once-in-a-season infiltration by radical Jews has now become a nearly daily affair often involving mainstream Israelis.

Israeli security forces are also carrying out unprecedented closures of the entire mosque area to accommodate the growing interest of mainstream Jews rather than a few radicals. As extreme political forces within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Knesset have cemented their power, the Israeli police have raised the security flag less and less often. The chief of Israeli police has the right to judge whether he feels that the entry of Jews into the mosque compound would cause a security risk.

One of the most active opponents of the constant Israeli actions is an Israeli citizen. Sheikh Raed Salah, the former mayor of the Arab-Israeli city of Um al Fahm, has created an organization to defend the rights of Muslims and their properties in Jerusalem and Israel at large.

Initially, every time Jewish groups announced that they intended to visit what they call the Temple Mount, Jerusalem Palestinians, as well as other Palestinian Israeli citizens like Salah, would make calls to their supporters to be vigilant and stand up to the invaders of the mosque area. However, with time and with a consistent Israeli strategy of arrests and court orders, the Palestinian opposition has weakened. This gave Israeli radicals an appetite to further challenge the Palestinians and create a new de facto situation on the ground.