Scores of Israeli settler fanatics guarded by police today broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem and performed rituals across its courtyards, according to witnesses.
The Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, in charge of the holy site, said nearly 250 Israeli settlers entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate in groups and performed rituals and Talmudic prayers there under the protection of Israeli police officers.
This comes amid calls by far-right settler organizations on fans to break into the holy site in large numbers on the seventh and final day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.
Since 2003, the Israeli occupation authorities have allowed settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis, with the exclusion of Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship.
Last month alone, 4,426 Israeli settlers made their way into the holy site and prayed there, in violation of the historic status quo and signed agreements banning non-Muslim prayers at the holy site.
The Islamic Waqf has repeatedly described the settlers’ presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, saying that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli police and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency