The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds has once more been invaded by Israeli settlers, despite a warning and agreement reached that no Israeli should enter the compound.
Under the protection of the regime’s security forces, settlers reportedly conducted a provocative tour of the compound’s courtyard on Sunday, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Palestinian worshipers were also subject to strict entry restrictions from Israeli police.
Israeli settlers frequently enter the compound through the Moroccan Gate, also known as the Mughrabi Gate, to carry out rituals at the sacred site.
Many international bodies have condemned such behavior from Isreal, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) once pleaded with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to “assume its responsibilities” and “act urgently to take the necessary measures, without selectivity or double standards, to deter and stop the dangerous Israeli escalation” in East al-Quds and the disintegration of the entire surrounding of the mosque.
Furthermore, it denounced the “repeated attacks” of Israeli settlers on Palestinian properties and holy sites in al-Quds.
read more: OIC condemns Israeli aggression on al-Aqsa, urges UNSC to ‘act urgently’
Daily altercations between Israelis and Palestinians at the compound have recently resulted from the trend of intrusions. There have been numerous Palestinian arrests, injuries, and deaths.
The grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque are situated above the Western Wall plaza. It is where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located.
Jewish visitors are permitted to enter the mosque, but non-Muslim worship at the compound is forbidden, per a deal signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967.
Several right-wing extremists who sit in Israel’s Knesset (parliament) appear to support demolishing the Islamic site and replacing it with a Jewish temple.
Israel is playing with fire by making such provocations, the Palestinian defense organizations have warned.
