1,700 far-right Jewish settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – About 1,700 far-right Jewish settlers on Thursday stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, according to an official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.

The Israeli police imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslims while about 1,700 fanatical Jews, led by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, raided Masjid al-Aqsa this morning.

Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Ben-Gvir and far-right settlers.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sinan Al-Majali said the raid on Masjid Al-Aqsa constituted a "violation of sanctity and international law."

Describing Ben Gvir's raid as a provocative step, he said that the violation of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem is “unacceptable.”

"Ben Gvir's attack on Masjid Al-Aqsa is a provocative act. This is the official cover of his plans to Judaize, and forcibly change the current history and legal reality,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that consecutive storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attempts to divide it will not change its legal and historical position as an Islamic worshipping place.

The ministry called on Israel to immediately halt such provocative and escalating actions that would worsen the situation in the occupied territories.

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, also denounced the storming of the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli minister and a group of settlers.

On Wednesday, far-right Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, according to an official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.

More than 340 settlers entered the Haram al-Sharif area under Israeli police protection.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

Israeli forces and fanatical Jewish settlers frequently carry out raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque to provoke Palestinians, and recent years have seen the incursions grow larger and more brazen.

Türkiye strongly supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar