A number of Palestinian Muslim worshippers were injured today, by Israeli police officers who were escorting dozens of Israeli extremists performing a provocative tour of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Some 400 Israeli settlers, led by American-born rabbi and MK Yehuda Glick, entered the flashpoint compound, one of Islam’s holiest places, early Sunday morning, before police officers scuffled with worshippers who chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest), to express their anger at the entry of illegal settlers.
Israeli police physically attacked many of the worshippers, arrested some and chased others through the compound and went as far as the entrance to the southern sealed building, where the worshippers were barricaded, before attacking them with teargas and stun grenades.
Israeli police rarely allow Jewish prayers, in Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, when tens of thousands of Muslims converge on the holy site for worship.
Yesterday, according to the PNN, hardcore Israeli organizations called upon supporters to organize provocative visits to the mosque, in the city, the third holiest place in Islam, to mark what Israelis claim as the reunification of Jerusalem.
