Dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem this morning, under heavy security protection by the Israeli occupation police, in a new escalation that adds to the series of daily violations to which the Holy Sanctuary is subjected.
Details of the raid and provocative tours
Informed Jerusalemite sources reported that successive groups of settlers began storming Al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning, using the Mughrabi Gate, which has been under full Israeli control since 1967. The intruders carried out provocative tours in various parts of the mosque's courtyards, during which they received explanations about the alleged "Temple," under heavy guard from the Israeli police's special forces, who were deployed in the courtyards to secure the route of the incursions and prevent Muslim worshippers from approaching.
Time and space division diagram
These incursions come within the context of ongoing attempts by settler groups, with Israeli government support, to impose a new reality at Al-Aqsa Mosque aimed at entrenching its temporal and spatial division. Temporal division refers to allocating specific times for settler entry (usually in the morning and afternoon), during which Muslims are sometimes prevented from entering or subjected to restrictions. Spatial division aims to seize specific sections of the eastern courtyards of the mosque for Talmudic rituals, a move categorically rejected by Palestinians and the Islamic Waqf.
The historical and religious importance of Al-Aqsa Mosque
The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its 144-dunam area, is considered the first of the two qiblas (directions of prayer) and the third holiest site in Islam for Muslims worldwide. Since the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, the Israeli occupation authorities have controlled the keys to the Mughrabi Gate and use it as a main starting point for daily incursions (except on Fridays and Saturdays), in clear violation of the historical and legal status quo, which stipulates that the Jordanian Islamic Waqf is the sole authority responsible for managing the affairs of the mosque.
Repercussions of continued violations
These repeated incursions fuel a state of constant tension in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, where Palestinians and the international community view these practices as a provocation of Muslim sentiments and a violation of the sanctity of holy sites. These policies often lead to clashes and escalation on the ground, amidst ongoing Arab and Islamic warnings about the dangers of tampering with Al-Aqsa Mosque and altering its Islamic and Arab character, and calls for the international community to intervene to stop these attacks that threaten the stability of the region.
