Scores of Extremist Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
A statement by the Islamic Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Affairs said that today's raid was carried out through al-Magharebah Gate under heavy protection of Israeli police, according to Amman News.
“The settlers provocatively toured the Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern part of the compound, while Muslim worshipers peacefully confronted them,” it added.
The al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Jewish visitation of al-Aqsa is permitted, but according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government in the wake of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967, non-Muslim worship at the compound is prohibited.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: Agencies
