Thousands of illegal Israeli colonizers, including Knesset members, invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, on Sunday, in a serious escalation. In response, several world leaders and Palestinian factions have condemned the settler incursion into the Islamic holy site.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem (Silwanic) reported that a total of 3,969 illegal settlers, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security, and other extremist members of the Israeli Knesset.
Silwanic reported that Israeli police erected barriers in Jerusalem, prevented Palestinians from entering the Old City, and abducted three guards from the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound; they were identified as Mohammad Tina, Mohammad Badran, and Ahmad Abu Aliya.
The same source added that on the so-called “Anniversary of the Destruction of the Temple” illegal Israeli colonizers raised the flag of the occupation state in the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, while performing Talmudic rituals, dancing and chanting.
In response to the settler incursion, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, among many Palestinian factions, condemned the invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli colonizers.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed this a provocative act for fuelling conflict and undermining peace efforts in the region, in violation of international laws.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the escalation, calling it an unacceptable provocation, and reiterated that the Israeli occupation holds no sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Ambassador Sufian Qudah, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry announced that the Kingdom of Jordan fully rejects the continued incursions by Israeli settlers, facilitated by the occupation police as a violation of historical and legal status quo in an attempt to divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque spatially and temporally, desecrating its sanctity.
Qudah added that the entire 144 dunams of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a place of worship, exclusive to Muslims, adding that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, is the only legal entity with jurisdiction to administer the affairs of and regulate entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In a statement, the Islamic resistance movement Hamas condemned the settler incursion on Sunday, of thousands of Israeli colonizers into the Muslim holy site, calling it a threat to regional peace.
The group labelled the invasion as “an escalation of aggression against our Palestinian people” and “a provocation of the feelings of Muslims everywhere”, and called on Palestinians to continue resisting the “systematic violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque”.
The statement added that these acts “directly threaten regional and international peace and security” urging the international community and the United Nations to “hold [Israel’s] extremist government accountable”.
