JERUSALEM,(The Palestine Information Centre) Israeli settlers have once again intruded into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli forces in the latest act of provocation against the sacred Palestinian site.
Palestine’s official WAFA news agency reported that scores of Israeli settlers, escorted by military forces, broke into the compound through the Moroccan Gate on Tuesday and provocatively performed rituals and Talmudic prayers at Bab al-Rahma (Gate of Mercy or Golden Gate) area.
The Islamic Endowment Department in al-Quds said in a statement that the settlers received lectures from rabbis about the alleged Jewish temple at the revered Muslim site.
Israeli forces had earlier been deployed at the al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard before allowing settler groups to storm it.
At the same time, the troops prevented Palestinian worshipers from entering the mosque.
Hardline Israeli officials and settlers regularly storm the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city, a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians. Such mass break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel Aviv-backed temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in al-Quds.
