Jewish settlers storm occupied East Jerusalem mosque
Footage of Jewish settlers storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem has been circulated on social media, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on December 30th.
According to reports, Palestinians were performing the dawn prayer in the mosque’s courtyards when the settlers broke in, reportedly under the protection of Israeli forces.
News of this raid comes days after over 120 settlers stormed the mosque, as reported on December 24th, with an estimated 18 members of Israeli intelligence and police forces amongst the group.
Al-Aqsa is one of the holiest places in Islam, and is widely recognised as an exclusively Islamic site where only Muslims should be permitted to worship. This is known as the status quo, which Israel has repeatedly sought to violate through incursions and the performance of Talmudic rituals and prayers.
In October, concerns were raised by the Ir Amim Association, an Israeli monitor, that Israeli authorities were exploiting Jewish holidays, such as Sukkot, to increase the Jewish presence in Al-Aqsa.
Sukkot began on October 7th and was marked by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leading 1,300 Israelis on an incursion into Al-Aqsa on October 8th.
Ben-Gvir, of the far-right Jewish Power Party, stated in 2024 that he would build a synagogue on the mosque’s compound if permitted.
To mark Jerusalem Day on May 26th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a provocative video of himself walking through a tunnel underneath Al-Aqsa.
Similarly, more than 1,200 Israelis marked Passover by storming Al-Aqsa under police protection, as reported on April 15th; in contrast, access to the compound was restricted for Muslims during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan.
The Israeli government first permitted Jewish access to Al-Aqsa in 2003, despite the compound being the site of tension, particularly in September 2000 when the then-opposition leader, Ariel Sharon, staged a raid on the mosque, sparking the Second Intifada (Palestinian uprising).
Al-Aqsa is not the only mosque under threat from Israel, as the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Occupied West Bank’s Hebron has similarly faced Israeli-imposed closures and restrictions.
The Ibrahimi Mosque has also been the site of tensions, most notably in 1994 when Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein, murdered 29 Muslim worshippers at the mosque.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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