Nearly 1,400 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem holy city on Sunday to perform their Sukkot holiday rituals, according to the Anadolu reports.
According to the Jerusalem Waqf which is responsible for Islamic edifices in the Al-Aqsa mosque, the settlers stormed the site through Mugharbi Gate in the western wall of the mosque under heavy protection from Israeli police forces.
The reports indicated the far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir infamous for the open genocide call against Palestinians also joined the illegal settlers in performing Talmudic rituals at the site.
However, Ben-Gvir’s office claimed that the radical minister did not enter the site but welcomed Israeli settlers at the entrance of the complex.
Pertinently, Israeli authorities have restricted Muslim worshippers from entering the complex of the holy mosque. However, since 2003, Israel has allowed Israeli settlers into the flashpoint compound on an almost daily basis except Fridays and Saturdays.
Sukkot
Sukkot is a major Jewish festival held in the autumn (beginning on the 15th day of Tishri) to commemorate the sheltering of the Israelites in the wilderness. It is marked by the erection of small booths covered in natural materials.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is sacred to the Abrahamic religions. The mosque is considered the third holiest place in Islam after Makkah and Madinah and its compound is known to Jews as the Temple Mount. The site has long been a flashpoint for deadly violence between the two sides.
Under the status quo, non-Muslim worshippers may visit the site in the heart of the Old City but are not allowed to pray there.
Earlier, in remarks to Israeli Army Radio, Ben-Gvir said that “Jews can pray on the Temple Mount,” adding that under his term as the Minister of National Security, there will be no discrimination between Jews and Muslims.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is administered by Jordan, but access to the site itself is controlled by Israeli security forces.
“Arabs can pray wherever they want, so Jews should be able to pray wherever they want,” he said, claiming that the “current policy allows Jews to pray at this site”.
But the Israeli government has been accused of sponsoring such provocative actions with reports indicating that for the first time, it will fund such incursions and spend around 545000 on settler tours to Al-Aqsa.
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