Scores of illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque amid tension

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Scores of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday to mark the beginning of the Jewish new year.

The Jordan-run Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department said over 180 settlers broke into the site under the protection of Israeli police.

Settlers were seen performing Talmudic Jewish rituals inside the mosque's complex, the department added in a statement.

Footages on social media showed Israeli settlers performing rituals on the eastern side of the complex.

Settler incursions into the flashpoint site have fueled tensions with Palestinians amid repeated visits to the complex by several Israeli ministers and calls for allowing Jewish prayers at the mosque.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has previously called for Jewish prayer rights at Al-Aqsa and building a synagogue within its grounds.

Palestinians continue to accuse Israel of attempting to Judaize occupied East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity. They maintain that East Jerusalem should be the capital of their future state.

Al Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar