Ramallah: Extremist Israelis have started conducting marriage ceremonies inside Al Haram Al Sharif in occupied East Jerusalem with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access to the holy site and even issuing calls for building a new Jewish temple there.

Palestinian faction Fatah has warned against holding Jewish marriage ceremonies inside the Muslim holy site, terming the trend a serious escalation.

Jewish far right groups have hit on the new tactic to inflame Muslim sentiments after hundreds of Palestinians including West Bank residents held marriage ceremonies at the holy site. Conducting marriages in Al Haram Al Sharif has become a common practice among native Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem.

Al Waqf Department, which functions under Jordanian authority and administers Al Haram Al Sharif, had encouraged Jerusalem residents and Palestinians in general to seal their marriage vows at the holy site provided they had obtained necessary permissions.

Palestinian couples aspire to have their marriage ceremonies conducted by the Imam of Al Aqsa Mosque.

Al Haram Al Sharif, which accommodates Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is governed by the status quo agreement between Jordan and the Israeli occupation which allows Jews to visit the holy site but strictly bans them from praying or conducting Talmudic rituals there.

“Conducting Jewish marriage ceremonies inside Al Haram Al Sharif is an extremely dangerous phenomenon that constitutes a fresh challenge for the Jerusalemites,” said Ra’afat Aliyan, a spokesman for Fatah in East Jerusalem.

The Fatah warnings came not long after pictures published on the Twitter account of Rabbi Pentsi Ghovestien, who heads the Lahava far right extremist Jewish group, showed his son Alyshev’s marriage ceremonies being conducted inside Al Haram Al Sharif last Thursday.

Rabbi Ghovestien tweeted that his son’s marriage inside Al Haram Al Sharif was not the first and would not be the last and it stands for the ultimate Jewish goal to see Israel rebuild the temple that Jews believe is buried under the Muslim site.

“Jewish marriage ceremonies held inside Al Haram Al Sharif clearly show that the Israeli government disrespects all understandings and agreements with the Palestinians and the Jordanians,” said Aliyan. “The Israeli security forces usually turn a blind eye on the violations of the Israeli colonists inside the holy site, however holding a Jewish marriage ceremony inside Al Haram Al Sharif is a first.”

Aliyan urged Arab and Muslim sates to act promptly in defence of Al Haram Al Sharif. “Allowing Jewish marriage ceremonies inside Al Haram Al Sharif shows that Israel is still thirsty for blood and seeks to shed more blood of the Palestinians who will never keep their mouths shut about this large-scale violation against the holy site,” he said.

“Such provocative moves will not pass unpunished,” he added.

“This unprecedented Jewish violation against Al Haram Al Sharif will be a fundamental motivation for all the Palestinian Islamic and nationalistic groups and parties to escalate violence and attacks against the Israeli occupation forces,” said Aliyan.

Since last October, escalating violence between Palestinians and Israelis has claimed the lives of more than 180 Palestinians and 30 Israelis.