Category: Holy sites

Israeli authorities released Mohammad, 15, from the West Bank city of Qalqilya, in April after he served six months in prison. (Photo: DCIP / Cody O’Rourke) New York, June 20,…

Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, sent a letter to senior Israeli government, military and water officials demanding that they cease cutting the water supply to…

Dozens of Israeli soldiers, and undercover officers, stormed on Monday morning that courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque through the al-Magharba Gate, attacked many Palestinian worshipers before closing the Al-Qibli Mosque,…

Twelve Palestinians were injured with rubber-coated metal bullets and teargas during clashes that broke out, between devotees at Al-Aqsa Mosque and Israeli soldiers, on Sunday at dawn. Locals who were at the…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday condemned ongoing excavations by the Israeli government beneath al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. According to the ministry, the government of Israeli Prime Minister…

A group of Israeli extremists assaulted the Pentecostal prayer procession in Jerusalem this week, shouting and trying to occupy Mount Zion to keep the Christians out. The Israeli police arrested…

Israeli settlers, on Wednesday, resumed their provocative visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. WAFA correspondence said that small groups of extremist settlers, accompanied by an Israeli police escort, broke…

Some 500 extremist Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli police, have broken into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of holy month Ramadan, Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem…

Three hundred Palestinians from besieged Gaza were permitted, on Friday, to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque in annexed East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian officials, following a recent decision to lift a ban…

Groups of extremist Israeli settlers stormed, on Wednesday morning, the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, from the Magharba gate, under heavy protection of Israeli occupation police. An Al Ray reporter said that…

The Israeli tourism ministry has published a map of the occupied Old City of al-Quds (Jerusalem), which omits significant Muslim and Christian holy sites, as well as entire neighborhoods, from the…

In an interview with Israel’s Knesset Channel (the Israeli equivalent of CSPAN), the country’s chief Ashkenazi rabbi advocates building a Third Temple on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, arguing that it…

The Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which implements Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territory, issued an order freezing more than 83,000 permits allowing Palestinians to…

A Palestinian security guard was reportedly hit and injured by an Israeli police vehicle inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in annexed East Jerusalem, Wednesday morning, witnesses said. Eyewitnesses explained to…

For the second time, the “Hassan Bek” mosque in Jaffa, was defaced on Saturday at dawn with racist graffiti written in Hebrew, similar to dozens of previous incidents that targeted…

Israeli soldiers and police officers detained, Friday, at least 42 Palestinians from the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and released them later except for seven Palestinians, who remained under interrogation.…

Jordan has decided not to install security cameras at Islam’s third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in annexed East Jerusalem, because of some Palestinian doubts, Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur…

A group of Israeli settlers escorted by  policewomen, on Sunday, resumed their provocative tours into annexed East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque compound, provoking tension with Palestinian worshipers, who chanted religious slogans…

Israeli soldiers invaded, late at night and on Thursday at dawn, many Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem and kidnapped fifteen elderly men,  between the ages of 57 and 72, and one man,…

The French Foreign Ministry has called on Israel to halt renewed construction of the Israeli separation wall in the southern occupied West Bank’s Cremisan Valley, according to a statement published…

A group of extremist Israeli settlers, led by American-Israeli rabbi Yehuda Glick, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound from Al-Magharibah gate, early Monday, according to Al Ray. A statement by the…

Palestinian police in the southern occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem arrested, on Saturday, the spiritual head of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Palestine and Jordan, Palestinian security sources said.…

Christian Palestinians and pilgrims from around the world marked Good Friday, today, by holding a procession on Via Dolorosa, in the historic Old City of annexed East Jerusalem. Security was…

Israeli authorities, on Wednesday, cancelled a weekly visit which allows elderly Palestinians, from the Gaza Strip, to travel to annexed East Jerusalem for Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to…

16 Palestinian pilgrims killed, while 36 others were injured when their bus overturned on Wednesday evening, in Ma’an city, south of Jordan.The Palestine Information Center reported from the Jordanian Civil…

Israeli police, on Sunday, violently suppressed a rally organized by Palestinian women who have been banned, by Israeli authorities, from entering annexed East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, for various periods of…

Israeli right-winger Yehuda Glick, head of the ‘Temple Mount Faithful’ group, was escorted – together with other settlers – under Israeli armed protection into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem,…

Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning, from Mughrabi Gate, guarded by special occupation forces.Jerusalemite sources said, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, that the…

Jewish Israeli settlers, on Wednesday, resumed provocative tours inside al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, provoking tension with Palestinian worshipers, who chanted religious slogans to protest their entry, according to witnesses.An…

Extremist Israeli settlers stormed, on Wednesday morning, the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, from Al Mughrabi gate, amid tight security protection from the Israeli occupation police.Jerusalemite sources reported, according to Al…

A group of extremist, right-wing Israeli settlers, on Sunday at dawn, sprayed slogans calling for the slaughter of Christians, on the walls of an old monastery in Jerusalem.The slogans are…

Wadi Hilweh Information Center has issued their 2015 yearly report and monitored the main events in the city of Jerusalem, with special attention given to Israeli violations against Jerusalemites and…

Eastern Christian denominations following the Orthodox calendar, on Wednesday, welcomed archbishops and patriarchs to celebrate Christmas Eve outside the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ, at the Nativity Church, in Bethlehem.Hundreds…

The leader of the extremist anti-assimilation group, Lehava, recently renewed his calls to torch churches in occupied Jerusalem, Israeli media sources revealed.Lehava’s leader, Bentzi Gopstein, told the Israeli TV Channel…

An Israeli Rabbi said, Wednesday, that Christians are not welcome in Jerusalem, and that he does not mind burning mosques and churches.Bentzi Gopstein told Israeli TV Channel 2 that Israeli…

The right-wing Jewish group ‘Lehava’ held a protest outside of the YMCA in Jerusalem, shouting at Palestinian Christian children and families as they were entering and leaving the annual Christmas-tree…

Although tensions have recently subsided at East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, many Palestinians fear that ‘partition’ of the site between Muslims and Jews remains a long-term Israeli objective.The current round…

Israeli settlers Sunday resumed their provocative tours into al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem, despite of recent remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by which he vowed that ‘his’…

Israeli forces have continued the tight siege and restrictions imposed on Al-Aqsa Mosque and banned Palestinian worshippers from entering the mosque, for the third day in a row.For the third…

Delivered by Fr. Ibrahim Shomali:Thank you, Mr. President, The CCIA of the World Council of Churches would like to express its deep concern on the building of the Israeli annexation…

The Israeli authorities announced that the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as Cave of the Patriarchs, will be closed to Muslim worshippers on Tuesday and Wednesday, for the Jewish holidays, the…

Dozens of Israeli soldiers, police officers and undercover forces, invaded on Monday morning, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, fired gas bombs and concussion grenades causing many injuries, before forcibly…

Clashes broke out in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound when Israeli forces stormed the holy site on Sunday morning, the last day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, witnesses said.Witnesses told…

As Israeli police continued to severely restrict Palestinian access into Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, groups of extremist Jewish settlers wearing priestly garments, Wednesday morning ,forced their way into the flashpoint…

The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, on Monday, have released statement expressing serious concerns regarding recent violent development on Haram al Sharif (Al Aqsa Mosque).“We condemn all threats of change…

About 43 Israeli settlers and intelligence members barged into the yards of Al-Aqsa mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, heavily guarded by Israeli police units.Israeli forces abducted one Palestinian near one…

Israeli police, on Wednesday, assaulted two Islamic Waqf guards and a number of women, with their clubs, at al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, according to local sources.Omar Keswani, director of…

Israeli forces entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound’s southern mosque on Tuesday sparking the third straight day of violent clashes at the third holiest site in Islam.Dozens of Palestinians were injured…

Groups of Israeli extremists, accompanied by dozens of soldiers and police officers, continued their invasions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, through the al-Magharba Gate, after the army…

Dozens of undercover soldiers of the Israeli army, and police officers, invaded on Monday morning the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, assaulted many Palestinians, kidnapped seven, and wounded several others,…

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate issued a statement strongly denouncing the serious Israeli escalation against the worshipers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Sunday, leading to dozens…

Israeli Minister of Agriculture, Uri Ariel, joined dozens of Israeli extremists who stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, Sunday, under extensive military and police presence, leading to clashes…

Dozens of Israeli soldiers and police officers invaded, earlier on Sunday, the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, and fired dozens of concussion grenades on local worshipers, and…

The Israeli Tax Authority has rejected a claim for compensation by officials of the Catholic Church demanding compensation for the burnt Church of Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, which was…

Settlers broke into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque from Mughrabi gate, on Sunday morning, amid tight security protection from Israeli police.Al Ray reports that, according to media, the coordinator for…

Israeli soldiers and police officers attacked, Sunday, many Palestinian women, and prevented more than 40 from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, and accompanied dozens of Israeli extremists during…

Israeli authorities, on Tuesday, announced that they will close the Ibrahimi Mosque, in Hebron’s old city, to Muslim worshipers, for six days during September, under the pretext of ‘Jewish occasions’,…

Hundreds of right-wing Israelis and Israeli settlers performed Jewish prayers at the site of Joseph’s Tomb, east of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank, under armed protection at dawn…

Protesters marched following Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in condemnation of “dangerous Israeli escalations’ at the holy site, locals said.Protesters held signs reading “Al-Aqsa is a symbol of our…

Israeli police took into custody, early on Wednesday, a photojournalist and two female students from Al-Aqsa Islamic School at Al-Silsila gate.Police deployed forces in the early morning hours, in the…

Israeli soldiers kidnapped, Thursday, two Palestinian teenager girls, tenth grade students of the Al-Aqsa School, and also kidnapped two young men near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Army also imposed more restrictions…

Israeli police, on Sunday, prevented around 20 Palestinian women from entering al-Aqsa mosque, while allowing Israeli settlers into the mosque’s compound, according to WAFA correspondence.Special Israeli police units erected metal…

Israeli police has denied women and children access to al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in East Jerusalem, provoking resentment among the crowds, according to local sources.WAFA correspondence said that a scuffle broke…

Israeli occupation forces assaulted and injured guards at the Al Aqsa Mosque, Monday morning, at the door of al-Asbat, while detaining one other.The media coordinator of the Foundation of the…

At the end of Star Street in the Old City of Bethlehem, turquoise metal doors that are usually locked have been set wide open. In a cave-like interior, a group…

Israeli soldiers attacked, on Tuesday morning, dozens of Palestinians in the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, in occupied East Jerusalem, and kidnapped eight Palestinians, including two children. At least two were injured,…

Controversial Israeli right-wing rabbi activist Yehuda Glick was escorted, under armed protection, into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound Wednesday, as groups of right-wing Israelis entered the area for the third time…

Israeli forces invaded the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya, Sunday afternoon, continuing attacks begun last night against the city’s Palestinian population.Israeli police have blocked off entrances to Issawiya while forces…

Dozens of Palestinians have been injured, Sunday, after a large military force, and fanatic groups, stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, before storming the mosque itself, and clashing with…

Unable to organize provocative visits to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque during the fasting month of Ramadan, when Palestinian Muslims maintain a permanent presence in the holy site, Jewish settlers resumed their…

About 450 thousand Muslim worshippers flocked, Monday, to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem’s Old City to mark Laylat al-Qadr.Laylat Al-Qadr, meaning the Night of Power, takes place toward the…

Q-Press media center for Jerusalem and al-Aqsa affairs today said that the planning and construction committee in occupied Jerusalem, last week, has approved the construction of a huge project on…

The Israeli secret service (Shin Bet) reported Sunday that they had arrested three men for questioning for the burning of the Chruch of the Loaves and Fishes, where Christians believe…

Israeli forces closed have the Mughrabi Bridge for hundreds of worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.The army closed the Mughrabi Bridge, Sunday morning, in front of a solemn assembly of hundreds…

The Israeli police and personnel of the “Israel Land Administration” invaded, on June 29, the local church in the depopulated Christian village of Eqreth, in ‘Akka (Acre), and confiscated all…

Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, today, revealed that Israel and Jordan have been involved in negotiations for a number of months concerning reopening Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on…

Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Sunday, a Palestinian woman while leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Chain Gate, in occupied Jerusalem, and took her to an interrogation facility in the Old…

Following condemnations by other Christian organizations, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries issued a statement condemning the church burning by right-wing Jewish extremists on Thursday night. Father Michel Sabbah, Father Amjad…

Israeli police detained and have now released 16 young Jewish settlers, Thursday, after an overnight arson attack damaged a revered shrine in northern Israel.The arson attack struck the Church of…

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), strongly denounced the burning of an historic church, in Tabgha, on the northwest shore of the…

Early Thursday morning, right-wing Israelis set on fire the Church of the Multiplication, where Christians believe that Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes, and wrote graffiti in Hebrew on the walls…

Israeli police officers kidnapped, Tuesday, two Palestinian women while leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, and assaulted two elderly men.A worker of the Islamic Endowment Department said the police…

Israeli settlers, last week, attempted (but failed) to attack a mosque during dawn prayers in the city of Hebron, local sources recently revealed.WAFA sources said that two masked settlers attempted…

Tens of extremist Israeli settlers, again, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection, Thursday morning.The settlers broke into the mosque from Al-Maghareba Gate, while witnesses said that police assaulted two…

Israeli Jews banned, on Monday, Christian prayer at holy site of Jesus’ Last Supper, calling it “pagan ceremony.”Witnesses said that clashes erupted between the Israeli Jews and Christians –Palestinian and…

Extremist Israeli settlers broke into the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque, on Monday morning, from Mughrabi Gate, under heavy guard of Israeli police.Mahmoud Abu Atta, media coordinator of Al-Aqsa Foundation…

A Swedish company established in 2007 was used to cover up the sale and transfer of a West Bank church compound to settlers funded by American millionaire Irving Moskowitz, Israeli…

Israeli soldiers kidnapped, Sunday, six Palestinian Muslim worshipers in the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, as groups of Israeli fanatics stormed the area while chanting and…

Two 19th-century nuns on Sunday became the first Palestinians to gain sainthood in recent history during an open-air mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square, and attended by…

Pope Francis met President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, calling him ‘an angel of peace,’ days after the Vatican said it was preparing to sign its first accord with Palestine, to…

Israeli intelligence teams, along with groups of extremist colonial settlers, Tuesday morning, have renewed raids on Al Aqsa Mosque, entering from the Mughrabi gate.The groups were heavily guarded by private…

Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque on Sunday morning, from Mughrabi Gate and amid tight security protection from private Israeli occupation police.The director of…

A group of Israeli settlers, early Sunday, stormed Al Aqsa Mosque courtyards from Al Magariba gate, under heavy guard by Israeli police, and attacked students, according to local sources.Director of…

The Islamic-Christian Committee to Support Occupied Jerusalem and Holy Sites warned,, Thursday, of a new project underway by Israeli authorities which is conducting tunnel excavations beneath the homes in Silwan…

Israeli soldiers attacked dozens of Palestinian worshipers near the Chain Gate, one of the Gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, and kidnapped two young men. Army invades a…

As dozens of Israeli extremists stormed the yards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, chanting and raising Israeli flags, and trying to raise the flags on the mosque, Israeli…

Hundreds of extremist Israeli settlers again invaded and performed prayers at Joseph’s Tomb in eastern Nablus, under armed protection, early Tuesday.Locals told Ma’an News Agency that Israeli forces escorted a…

Extremist Israeli settlers raised the Israeli flag on the walls and over the rooftop of al-Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, today in Hebron.The reconstruction committee…

The Israeli Authorities decided, Tuesday, to deny access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, to two elderly men for 30 days, and a mosque guard for ten days.…

Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers stormed Al Aqsa Mosque yards, early Sunday, via Al Magariba Gate under heavy guard of Israeli police. Local sources reported that about 33 settlers broke…