Agencies-Gaza post
Herd of Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque: sources
Dozens of Israeli settlers backed by Israeli police broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem this morning and performed rituals across its courtyards according to witnesses.
They reported that hundreds of Israeli settlers approached the holy place in groups and performed rituals and Talmudic prayers there while being protected by Israeli security officials.
Israeli soldiers refused Palestinians and Muslim worshipers access to the sacred place while Israeli settlers were present, it noted.
The latest move comes after nearly a month of tensions exacerbated by hardline Israeli settlers’ heightened presence inside the holy site during the previous Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Despite a joint guardianship agreement between Israel and Jordan that prohibits Jewish settlers from entering the holy site, Israeli far-right groups have consistently advocated for an enhanced presence of Israeli settlers at Al-Aqsa.
The Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem has repeatedly described the settlers’ trips as “provocative,” and said that the presence of Israeli police and settlers viewing the Islamic holy site makes Palestinian worshippers and guardians at Al-Aqsa uneasy.
During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel took East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a move that was never acknowledged by the international community.
