• Palestinian government expresses concern over threats to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
• UAE condemns Israeli police assaults on Christians during Holy Saturday celebrations.
• AI-generated video depicting Al-Aqsa's destruction raises alarms across Arab nations.
• Israeli restrictions limit Christian access to Jerusalem during Easter.
• International calls for protection of religious sites intensify amid escalating tensions.

The Palestinian government has raised alarm over rising threats from Israeli settler groups calling for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. An AI-generated video, titled "Next Year in Jerusalem," has circulated on extremist platforms, dramatizing the bombing of the mosque and suggesting the construction of a “Third Temple” in its place. This has been condemned by Palestine's Foreign Ministry as "a systematic incitement to escalate the targeting of Christian and Islamic holy sites" in occupied Jerusalem, emphasizing the need for urgent international intervention, according to Al Jazeera.

Amid rising tensions, the Israeli police clashed with Christian worshippers during Holy Saturday celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. According to reports, Israeli authorities erected military checkpoints and restricted access to Christian worshippers, particularly those from the occupied West Bank, issuing only 6,000 permits for a community of approximately 50,000 Christians. This has drawn severe condemnation, with Palestinian officials decrying the acts as violations of religious freedom and warning they could escalate regional tensions, as highlighted by AA.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also voiced condemnation against the Israeli calls for demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and expressed concern over police assaults on Christians. The UAE Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of protecting holy sites and adhering to Jordan’s role in overseeing these sites according to international law. It insisted that violations would have dire consequences for regional peace, as reported by AA.

As the situation continues to escalate, the International Court of Justice had previously deemed Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, urging for changes to the current status quo, a sentiment echoed by various Arab nations who view the incitement around Al-Aqsa as part of a broader attack on Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem, according to TRT Global.