Agencies-Gaza post
Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque
Dozens of Israeli settlers escorted by police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday and performed rituals in its courtyards, according to local sources.
The Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, in charge of the holy site, reported scores of Israeli settlers entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate in groups and performed rituals and Talmudic prayers there under the protection of Israeli police officers.
The latest updates comes as amid calls by so-called Temple Mount groups calling fans to break en masse into the holy site at the end of this month marking the Jewish holidays.
Since 2003, the Israeli occupation authorities permit settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis, with the exclusion of Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship.
The Islamic Waqf has repeatedly said the settlers’ presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, adding that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli police and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.
Israel controled East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community.
