Groups of extremist Israeli settlers led by the radical rabbi, Yehuda Glick, heavily guarded by Israeli special forces broke into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, early on Tuesday.
About 30 Israeli settlers stormed the mosque from Al-Maghariba gate, while the Israeli forces heavily deployed to guard them.
Israeli channel 10 said, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, that Yehuda Glick, the rabbi who led the incitement, had received threats on Facebook prior to the raid.
Al-Aqsa Mosque witnesses, almost daily, occurrences of incursions and violations by Israeli settlers and extremists, amid tight restrictions imposed on the entry of Palestinian worshipers.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and also venerated as Judaism’s most holy place, alleged to be the original site of Solomon’s Temple. Disputes surrounding visitation to the site have historically flared tensions in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In 2003, the Israeli government unilaterally decided — despite the objections of the Islamic Endowments Department — to allow non-Muslim visitors into the complex.
Since then, under increasingly right-wing Israeli governments, extremist Jewish settlers have been allowed into the site in ever greater numbers — usually protected by Israeli security forces — while Palestinian access to the site has become increasingly restricted.
Christians outside of the Levant remain divided on the issue, as biblical end times prophecy states: “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” ~Revelation 21:22
However, settler attacks on Christian holy sites have been progressive in recent years, and are now on the increase, as well.
In a related context, dozens of extremist settlers stormed, on Tuesday at dawn, Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus city, north of the West Bank, under heavy protection of Israeli forces, in order to perform Talmudic rituals there.
Local sources said that Israeli military vehicles stormed the eastern area of the city at midnight and surrounded the tomb. After that dozens of buses, lifting settlers came to the area.
Violent clashes erupted in the streets surrounded the tomb where Palestinian youth threw stones, while soldiers responded by firing rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs.
Settlers also storm the tomb on an almost weekly basis. However, the raids were reportedly quelled for the month of Ramadan.
Also of interest: Rabbi Lau: 3rd Temple Can be Built Without Destroying Al Aqsa
