Israeli extremist group calls for demolition of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock

An Israeli extremist group on Wednesday called for the dismantling of the Dome of the Rock in occupied East Jerusalem to build a 'temple' in the courtyard of the Muslim holy site.

Bentzi Gopstein, head of Lehava, published the plans online, in which he urged Israeli extremists to unite on Jerusalem Day to storm the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and initiate plans to dismantle the nearby Dome of the Rock in order to begin the construction of a temple.

Al Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam while the Dome of the Rock is revered by Muslims worldwide as the location from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. 

Gopstein said: "Jerusalem Day, which falls on May 29, is the day the demolition of the Dome of the Rock will begin."

The day, marked in May every year according to the Hebrew calendar, sees far-right Israeli activists storming Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.

Provocations at the mosque which occurred during Ramadan 2021 led to the brutal Gaza-Israel conflict, which resulted in hundreds of Palestinians being killed in Israeli airstrikes, including dozens of children.

At the time Lahava called for the 'disciplining of Arabs' and called for its armed activists to storm the Muslim holy site. One such raid led to dozens of Palestinians being injured at Bab al-Amoud square in occupied East Jerusalem.

Lehava frequently calls for the expulsion of all Arabs from the land of historic Palestine.