Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s extremist far-right National Security Minister, stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, accompanied by several armed bodyguards.
Ben-Gvir raised the Israeli flag inside the compound and carried out provocative acts and dances during the incursion, which coincided with an increase in settler raids into the mosque compound during the so-called “Jerusalem Day”.
Local sources said occupiers entered the compound and publicly performed Talmudic rituals in its courtyards under Israeli protection, Wafa added.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israeli police have allowed occupiers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound daily, except Fridays and Saturdays, since 2003.
Israeli occupiers stormed the mosque 30 times in April, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.
Palestinians say Israel has intensified efforts for decades to Judaise East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase the city’s Arab and Islamic identity.
Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, citing international resolutions that do not recognise Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980. – AA
