Days of Palestine – Jerusalem

Dozens of Israeli settlers escorted by Israeli police broke Sunday into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem and performed rituals in its courtyards, local sources reported.

They said scores of Israeli settlers entered the holy site in groups and performed rituals and Talmudic prayers there under the protection of Israeli police officers.

The latest development comes after nearly three months of growing tensions fueled by the increased presence of hardcore Israeli settlers inside the holy site during the most recent Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf has repeatedly described the settlers’ presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as “provocative”, saying that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli police and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.

Israeli occupation captured East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community.