JERUSALEM: Scores of colonial Israeli settlers today broke into the compound of al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem under heavy protection from the Israeli police, according to witnesses.
The settlers raided the holy mosque from the Moroccan Gate and performed provocative tours in its compounds. They also performed Talmudic rituals there.
This latest incident adds to the ongoing tensions surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third most revered site in Islam. The entry of settlers into the compound, backed by Israeli security forces, is often met with condemnation from Palestinian officials and religious authorities.
The Islamic Waqf, the Jordan-run authority in charge of the holy site, has repeatedly called for international intervention to prevent these incursions, which are seen as a direct challenge to the status quo of the holy site and an affront to the sentiments of Muslims worldwide.
Since 2003, the Israeli occupation authorities have been allowing settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis, wit
h the exclusion of Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship.
Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA