Israeli Intelligence Officers Accompany Extremist Settlers in Raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque

Rasa - Israeli settlers and intelligence officers forced their way into al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, according to local sources.

News ID: 423068

Date: 29 August 2016 - 23:25

RNA - Witnesses said that a group of hardline Israeli settlers accompanied by intelligence officers broke into the Islamic holy site, WAFA reported.

There were no reports of clashes between the entering settlers and worshipers.

The site has witnessed violent clashes in recent months, between Palestinians and Israeli police, most frequently due to provocative visits by extremists who believe the mosque should be destroyed and replaced with a Jewish temple.

The site is the third holiest place for Muslims, and has since 1967 been the center of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. While it is widely known as Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jews refer to the site as the “Temple Mount”.

Palestinians worry that, if Jewish visitors were allowed to pray in the mosque, it would eventually lead to a permanent change which will result in full Israeli control and ban on Muslim prayer.

In a related development, participants at a workshop held at the Professional Associations Complex in Amman, Jordan, condemned the silence of the world regarding Israeli violations against mosque.

They also warned of the danger of Judaization plans and of the Israeli daily aggressions.

Participants stressed, at a seminar on the 47th anniversary of Al-Aqsa burning, that the Israeli occupation violates the international legitimacy resolutions and commits the most heinous crimes against the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and all the occupied Arab territories.

According to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, they expressed their condemnation of the crime of burning of Al-Aqsa, as a step towards building the alleged “3rd Temple”, noting that it is a crime of the worst attacks committed against the mosque.

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