Israel’s Channel 2 reported that, yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave authorization for Knesset members to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque next Tuesday.
Netanyahu issued an order prohibiting members of the Knesset from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in October of 2015, since the outbreak of the uprising in Jerusalem. In July, he temporarily lifted the ban following a legal petition by far-right Knesset member Yehuda Glick.
This decision, according to the PNN, was made after security considerations determined that the storming of Al-Aqsa by Israeli groups, including ministers and MKs, are a major factor in provoking Palestinians. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam.
Dozens of settlers storm the mosque, under the protection of the Israeli police, on a daily basis. UNESCO deemed Al-Aqsa Mosque an Islamic heritage, last October.
In protest to the ban Yehuda Glick organized a raid at Al-Aqsa Mosque yesterday, in which over 130 right-wing Israelis stormed the compound under the protection of Israeli police, while Glick performed prayers outside the holy site’s gates.
