Nearly 1,400 illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate Sukkot

By Aysar Alais and Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Some 1,390 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to a Palestinian agency.

The Jordan-run Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said the settlers entered the flashpoint site through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque under the protection of Israeli police.

According to witnesses, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir joined the illegal settlers in performing Talmudic rituals at the site amid restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers into the complex.

Ben-Gvir’s office, however, said the extremist minister did not enter the site but welcomed Israeli settlers at the entrance of the complex.

Since 2003, Israel has allowed illegal settlers into the flashpoint compound almost on a daily basis with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming 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.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi