Itamar Ben-Gvir Leads Israeli Settlers Storming Al-Aqsa Courtyards In Jerusalem

Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem on Monday, “under the protection of the Israeli occupation police,” and the Jerusalem Governorate said settlers performed the “epic prostration” opposite the Dome of the Rock during their raid.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the storming by settlers led by extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, describing it as “a flagrant violation of the historical and legal status quo” and warning of “a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable provocation.”

Akhbar Hayat

The presidency said the provocations come within a deliberate policy aimed at imposing new facts on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, including attempts to partition it temporally and spatially.

It also stressed that “there is no sovereignty by the Israeli occupation over Jerusalem and its holy sites,” and affirmed that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its full area of 144 dunams, is a pure place of worship for Muslims.

The African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League condemned the continued closure of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli authorities, saying in a joint statement that they “condemn the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

The joint statement affirmed “the central status of the holy city of Jerusalem” and expressed “their firm condemnation of the ongoing blockade by the Israeli occupation of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslim worshippers, especially during the sacred month of Ramadan.”

Al-Jazeera Net

It said the act is “a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world,” and warned that maintaining the measures “implies an escalation of violence and tensions and threatens to undermine regional and international peace and security.”

The statement also said Israel “bears full responsibility for the consequences of these illegal and provocative measures” and called on the international community, “in particular the UN Security Council,” to force Israeli authorities to respect the right to freedom of worship and “to immediately reopen the doors of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem under the protection of occupation forces, with video clips showing the settlers storming the mosque and performing prayers aloud in the Western Gallery area near Bab al-Qattanin.

“Jerusalem - While the Islamic world is celebrating the Day of Arafah today, Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, under the protection of the occupation forces”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Jerusalem Wadi Halwa Information Center reported that the number of settlers who stormed the mosque during the morning period reached 302, while the Jerusalem Governorate said the courtyards witnessed “provocative tours” by intruders in the eastern area and the Western Gallery near Bab al-Qattanin.

The Al-Jazeera Net account also said that “4,112 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the occupation police during April/Nisan,” and described Monday’s assaults in the Jerusalem Governorate as including demolitions, arrests and expulsions.

Separately, the same report said the occupation police stormed the home of Jerusalem resident Abd al-Halim al-Shaloudi, threatened with eviction in the Wadi Halwa neighborhood of Silwan.