Attempts to stir up Arab riots in Jerusalem in advance of the dedication of the Churva synagogue are under way. The Voice of Palestine reports that Senior Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan has “warned” the Fatah Central Committee that the Israeli actions in Jerusalem are aimed at control of the Al Aqsa Mosque and that the Churva Synagogue is built on the "ruins of the Mosque of Omar".

The Churva Synagogue is located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City over three hundred meters west of the Western Wall, the Temple Mount compound and the al-Aqsa Mosque.