Dozens of illegal Israeli colonizers infiltrated, on Wednesday, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, in provocative tours, while authorities denied entry to Palestinians.
Under the full protection of Israeli police, the settlers entered the sacred site from the Bab al-Mughrabi (Moroccan Gate), roaming the courtyards, before exiting through the Bab al-Silsila (Chain Gate).
According to the Islamic Endowments Department, the colonists performed Talmudic rituals and received a lecture about the alleged “Temple Mount” by former Israeli Knesset member and extremist Yehuda Glick.
[Video from Al-Qastal News]
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem (Silwanic), reported that 145 settlers participated in the provocative tour on Wednesday, while 98 stormed the holy site on Tuesday.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is under Jordanian custodianship, through the Jerusalem Waqf Department, which is the exclusive authority supervising holy sites in Jerusalem.
Israeli settlers storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque, considered the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, on a regular basis, while Palestinians receive excessive scrutiny when trying to access the site.
Israeli police stop Palestinian Muslims, inspect their identification, search their belongings, deny them access, and occupation authorities impose bans on many Palestinians, for months at a time.
For example, in recent days, Israeli authorities have banned Jamil Al-Abbasi, from the Al-Aqsa Mosque for a period of four months, while Sabeeh Abu Sobeih was forbidden from entering the holy site for a period of six months.
Israeli authorities continue to allow the intrusion of non-Muslim Israelis into the Muslim holy site, while banning Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as a means of collective punishment.
