Israeli settlers stormed Jerusalem mosque 27 times in a month

A Palestinian ministry has found that Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque 27 times in October, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on November 5th.

A report by the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs recorded 27 Israeli settler incursions into the mosque, which is located in occupied Jerusalem.

The report said that Israeli settlers, were assisted by Israeli forces as they stormed the site – which is widely recognised as an exclusively Islamic site – carrying out Talmudic rituals and dances, and offering plant sacrifices within the mosque’s courtyards.

It was reported on October 20th that at least 93 settlers stormed the mosque under police protection, according to the Islamic Endowments Department. Israeli authorities blocked Muslim worshippers from entering the compound, which violates the status quo of the mosque as an exclusively Islamic site.

The Ir Amim Association, an Israeli monitor, expressed concerns, as reported on October 5th, that the Israeli government is increasingly exploiting Jewish holidays to heighten Jewish presence in the area.

A researcher at the Association, Aviv Tatarsky, said that “[u]nder the guise of religious Jewish connection, Israel is steadily taking control of the holy site.” Israelis have entered the mosque during Jewish holidays, such as Passover and Jerusalem Day.

Extremist “Temple Groups” petitioned for unlimited access to the mosque on May 26th, for Jerusalem Day, while the Israeli government first permitted Israelis to enter the mosque in 2003, as some claim the site is home to two ancient Jewish temples.

On October 8th, the second day of the Jewish holiday Sukkot, Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, led 1,300 Israelis on an incursion into the mosque; this incursion came a day after 500 settlers stormed the building.

In a post on X, Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Power”) party, stated: “We are the owners of the house on the Temple Mount. I only pray that our Prime Minister will allow a full victory in Gaza as well – to destroy Hamas, God willing, to return the hostages, and we will achieve an absolute victory.”

Additionally, Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque in the Occupied West Bank was closed to Muslim worshippers from October 8th to 9th, purportedly amid Sukkot celebrations. Israeli troops closed down military checkpoints and electronic gates leading to the mosque, as market stalls in the Old City were also shut down.

In 1994, the terrorist Baruch Goldstein killed 29 Muslim worshippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque; Ben-Gvir was said to have had a portrait of Goldstein in his living room.

Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org