RNA - Firas al-Dibs, spokesperson of the Islamic Waqf (Endowment) organization, which manages the compound's affairs, told the Palestinian Ma'an news agency on Monday that the settlers had forced their way into the holy site through the Bab al-Magharibah under tight protection of several groups of Israeli soldiers and special police forces.
Coming in successive groups, the settlers performed acts deemed provocative by the Palestinians in the mosque’s courtyard in commemoration of the upcoming Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement, according to the spokesman.
The move is considered to be an incursion under a 1967 deal between Israel and Jordan that is the custodian of the mosque. According to the agreement, non-Muslim worshipers can visit the place but are prohibited from praying there.
Tel Aviv, however, often allows settlers to enter the site and carry out religious rituals in defiance of the accord.
The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since US President Donald Trump announced his decision in December last year to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the occupied city.
According to Press TV, the dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis the city triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.
On December 21, 2017, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli “capital.”
In an attempt to prevent the passing of the resolution, Trump threatened reprisals against countries that backed the measure, which had earlier faced a US veto at the UN Security Council.
Israel, however, rejected the world body’s resolution while thanking Trump for his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds.
On May 14, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, in a largely solitary but consequential move that further complicated Palestinian aspirations for statehood.
The US embassy relocation took place on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), sparking clashes in Gaza.
Israel has shown a violent reaction to peaceful protests by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 180 and injuring thousands over the past weeks.
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