Palestinian scholars and Arab and Islamic organizations have called for Friday, Oct. 2, to be observed as a “Day of Anger” in defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid escalating Israeli settler incursions and the increasingly public performance of Jewish religious rituals inside the holy compound.

The call came after an emergency meeting attended by about 370 scholars, intellectuals, public figures and representatives of institutions and political parties, according to the Association of Palestinian Scholars.

The association urged Muslim scholars, imams, political parties, civil society organizations and the wider public to mobilize in support of Al-Aqsa and Palestine through rallies, sit-ins, Friday sermons and other activities.

It also called for the revival of the “Great Dawn” prayer campaign and urged imams to make Al-Aqsa and what it described as attempts to undermine the longstanding status quo at the site a central theme of Friday sermons.

The Al-Quds International Institution separately called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 to increase their presence at Al-Aqsa. It also urged Arab and Muslim communities worldwide to organize prayers, demonstrations and solidarity events.

The calls came after hundreds of Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa compound on Wednesday, the fifth day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, under Israeli police protection, according to Palestinian and Islamic authorities.

Palestinian sources said some settlers performed the “Four Species” ritual and carried plant offerings inside the compound. Former Israeli Knesset member Moshe Feiglin was also reported to have performed the ritual in the eastern section of Al-Aqsa.

Palestinian organizations said 1,317 settlers entered the compound on Wednesday. The figures could not be independently verified.

The incidents followed several days of Israeli settler visits during Sukkot, with Palestinian officials warning that the public performance of Jewish religious rituals inside the compound represents an attempt to normalize practices that could undermine the longstanding arrangements governing the site.

Palestinians have repeatedly warned against what they describe as efforts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa and divide the site by time or space.

The Al-Quds International Institution called on Arab and Muslim governments to take practical measures to protect Al-Aqsa and urged Jordan, which oversees the mosque's Islamic religious affairs, to strengthen its response.

Al-Aqsa, one of Islam's holiest sites, is located in occupied East Jerusalem and has remained a major flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian groups said Friday's mobilization is intended to keep Al-Aqsa at the center of popular, religious and political attention and to reaffirm Palestinian and Muslim opposition to changes at the holy site. (ILKHA)