91 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa mosque this morning under the protection of the Israeli military
The legal protection of the Israeli military meant that today, Tuesday, scores of Zionist settlers stormed the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is under Israeli control.
Local sources told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that 91 settlers stormed into Al-Aqsa and conducted provocative tours of its yards until they decided to leave through the chained doors.
As an act of retaliation, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Jerusalem, a group which manages the Al-Aqsa Mosque, issued a press statement and announced that 91 settlers, including 12 Jewish students stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the morning hours and held tours of the establishment and attempted to perform Jewish rituals.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected to regular Israeli raids from settlers and occupation police, as well as efforts to impede its renovation, many limitations on its pioneers, and several other means of harassment.
For a sustained period of time, the Israeli police, with the help of Israeli settlers, have prohibited Palestinian worshipers from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Furthermore, the police have intruded into the Palestinian Interior by checking the personal details of Palestinians and detaining some of them at the gates.
Israel’s occupation police permitted settlers to enter the mosque last Sunday, following a three-week hiatus in which settlers were banned from storming the building.
The Israeli army, aware of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ rejection of the settlers’ invading the mosque, has let the settlers to take control of the mosque since 2003.
