Occupied Jerusalem: mosque stormed by Israeli settlers

An estimated 171 Israeli settlers, along with 750 tourists, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem on November 23rd, according to Middle East Eye and agencies.

These figures are from the Jerusalem Governorate and are part of a pattern of Israeli settler incursions into the compound, which is widely recognised as an exclusively Islamic site. Settlers have previously entered the mosque to perform Talmudic rituals and prayers, while Israeli authorities blocked Muslim worshippers from entering the site.

It was reported on October 5th, that the Ir Amim Association expressed concerns about escalating violations of the mosque’s status quo by settlers. The Israeli monitor suggested that Israeli politicians were exploiting Jewish holidays, like Passover and Sukkot, to increase Jewish presence in the area.

Sukkot began on October 7th, and the holiday’s second day was marked by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leading 1,300 Israelis on an incursion into Al-Aqsa. Ben-Gvir’s incursion came a day after 500 settlers stormed the compound.

The mosque is reportedly on the site of the Jewish Temple Mount, which has led to clashes as Israeli authorities have sought to restrict Muslim access to the compound; settlers were first permitted access to the mosque by the Israeli government in 2003.

On May 28th, it was reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a video of himself walking through a tunnel underneath the mosque. The video was published on Jerusalem Day, which celebrates Israel’s capture of the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967.

Al-Aqsa is not the only mosque under threat by Israel, as Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque was closed to Muslim worshippers between October 8th and 9th as Israelis marked Sukkot. Military checkpoints and electronic gates leading to the mosque were closed by Israeli troops.

In 1994, the Ibrahimi Mosque was the site of a massacre by the terrorist, Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Muslim worshippers. Ben-Gvir, purportedly once kept a portrait of the terrorist on his living room wall.

According to a report from the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque 27 times in October. The settlers were accompanied by Israeli forces, and performed Talmudic rituals as well as dances, and offered plant sacrifices within the mosque courtyards.

Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org