Netanyahu, US Envoy Visit Al-Aqsa Mosque, Drawing Condemnation
Netanyahu’s presence, alongside US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, has drawn strong condemnation and criticism from Palestinias who labeled the move a provocation.
The Al-Quds Governorate, a Palestinian Authority body, issued a statement denouncing Netanyahu's presence at the Western Wall, known to Muslims as Al-Buraq Wall. The authority described the Tuesday visit as a "new provocative move," underscoring the deep tensions surrounding the site.
The area is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site.
Netanyahu's visit coincided with a reported increase in access to the compound by Israeli settlers during the eight-day Hanukkah holiday, which runs from December 14 to 22. Palestinian sources stated that at least 210 settlers had entered the mosque complex since Monday, a practice Palestinians view as aggressive and a violation of the site's sanctity.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound lies in East Jerusalem al-Quds, which the Israeli regime captured and occupied during the 1967 war.
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Israel later annexed the entire city in 1980, a move not recognized by the vast majority of the international community.
The status of Jerusalem al-Quds and its holy sites remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with such visits frequently triggering regional unrest.
Source: en.yenisafak.com
