UPDATES NUMBER OF ILLEGAL SETTLERS, REVISES LEDE
By Said Amori
JERUSALEM (AA) – At least 1,679 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday to celebrate the Jewish Passover holiday.
“During the morning raids, some 1,128 extremist settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in successive and provocative groups and another 551 in the afternoon,” the Islamic Endowments Authority in Jerusalem said in a statement.
The endowments authority added that the settler incursions also occurred under “strict measures and restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers by the occupation police.”
The authority said the Israeli police closed the Al-Mugharbah Gate, west of the mosque, from where the illegal settlers entered the site.
Since the first day of the week-long Passover, which began on Monday evening, hundreds of illegal settlers have been storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex daily under tight police guard, causing severe tensions in various parts of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Nearly 704 illegal settlers stormed Al-Aqsa on Wednesday. Right-wing Israeli extremist groups have previously called for widespread incursions into the mosque on the occasion of Passover.
Palestinians accuse Israel of taking rapid measures to Judaize Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity.
Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt during the time of Prophet Moses, is considered one of the most important holidays on the Jewish religious calendar.
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 Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul