Why the Al-Aqsa Mosque has often been a site of conflict between Israel and Palestine The Masjid al-Aqsa of Jerusalem is linked in the Quran to the story of the night journey of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem. May 14, 2021 · 07:30 pm Israeli police clash with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem's Old City, on May 10. | Ammar Awad / Reuters The violence that spread from Jerusalem to cities across Israel and the Palestinian territories, leaving at least 60 dead so far, has both historical and contemporary roots. In recent weeks, tension has flared over the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities blocking access to the important Damascus Gate plaza during Ramadan, and a march of thousands of Israeli ultra-nationalists through the city on May 6, in celebration of “Jerusalem Day,” which marks the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967.