Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection, restricting Palestinian access and performing religious rituals at the flashpoint Jerusalem site.
JERUSALEM: Approximately 150 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday under heavy police protection.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the group entered through the Mughrabi Gate and conducted what it described as provocative tours of the courtyards.
According to the Al-Qastal news website, the settlers performed Talmudic rituals during their incursion into the holy site.
Israeli police simultaneously imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers as part of ongoing measures to limit their access.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site, while Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, which they believe was the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
Israeli authorities have unilaterally permitted such settler visits during morning and afternoon periods daily since 2003, except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department, which administers the mosque, has repeatedly called for these incursions to stop without a response from Israeli officials.
Violations at the site have increased since Itamar Ben-Gvir became Israel’s National Security Minister in late 2022.
Palestinians accuse Israel of intensifying efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa, and erase its Arab and Islamic character.
East Jerusalem is regarded by Palestinians as the capital of their future state, a status supported by international resolutions that do not recognise Israel’s 1967 occupation or its 1980 annexation of the city.
