Days of Palestine – Amman
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the storming of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem by Israeli extremists and a Knesset member, warning of escalation due to permitting an Israeli flag march scheduled to begin today in Jerusalem, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency.
The Ministry’s spokesperson Haitham Abu Alfoul said “the Israeli raids, protected by the Israeli police, are a violation of the historical and legal status quo and the international law, stressing that Al-Aqsa Mosque is purely a place of worship for Muslims and that the Jordanian-run Waqf (endowments) and al-Aqsa Affairs Administration in Jerusalem has the exclusive jurisdiction to run all the affairs of the holy site,” said Petra.
The spokesperson called on Israel, the occupying power, to stop practices and violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, respect its sanctity, halt measures aimed at altering the historical and legal status quo, and respect the Waqf and al-Aqsa Affairs Administration in Jerusalem, the agency added.
According to local sources, at least 2,000 extremist settlers entered the Aqsa Mosque compound through its Maghariba Gate in the morning, ahead of a provocative flag march that could reignite confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of a small far-right party in the Knesset, and a number of his supporters were among the settlers who defiled the Mosque.
10 Palestinians were reportedly arrested by police officers in the morning during their presence in the Aqsa Mosque compound.
Palestinian journalists and photographers said they were prevented from entering the Aqsa Mosque and threatened with arrest.
The Red Crescent, for its part, said that settlers attacked one of its ambulance crews in the Old City while they were trying to reach an injured person in the al-Wad neighborhood.
Israeli occupation forces also erected road barriers and prevented Palestinian access to Bab al-Amud areas (Damascus Gate), the main entrance to the Old City where the settler march of flags will go through later in the afternoon.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=19670
