Jewish Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa, Kill Palestinian Child
"A group of Jewish students stormed the complex along with Israeli troops who wandered into the courtyards and verbally attacked the Palestinian religious students within," the guard, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency.
According to the guard, the Israeli police imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers into the compound since the early hours of the day.
In another incident, a Jewish settler ran over two Palestinian children near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The settler fled the scene after the incident.
One of two Palestinian girls that had been run over by the settler earlier Sunday died of her injuries, a Palestinian medical official said Sunday.
"Enas Khalil,5, succumbed to injuries she sustained when she was hit by a settler's car," Samir Saliba, head of the emergency department in the Ramallah Medical Complex, told Anadolu Agency.
The other girl is now hospitalized in a stable condition, Saliba added.
Recent months have seen a rise in attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank with the Palestinian officials accusing Israeli army and police personnel of turning a blind eye to the assaults.
Last week, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah slammed Israel for failing to bring to account Jewish settlers responsible for a recent wave of vandalism against Palestinian property in the occupied territory.
In recent months, groups of extremist Jewish settlers – often accompanied by Israeli security forces – have also repeatedly forced their way into East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.
Last week, scores of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.
In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli leader Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada" – a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.
Source: World Bulletin
