OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque witnessed large-scale incursions by Israeli settlers on Monday under heavy security measures imposed by Israeli police forces, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
According to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, groups of settlers, each comprising dozens of individuals, entered the Aqsa compound in successive waves, carrying out provocative tours throughout the courtyards. The settler tours included the performance of Talmudic rituals under direct protection by the Israeli police.
The department noted that settlers performed prayers and religious rituals in the eastern area of the Mosque and received lectures about the so-called “Temple,” in ongoing violations of the site’s sanctity.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces tightened restrictions on Palestinian worshipers entering the holy site. They confiscated ID cards at the gates, blocked access to paths designated for settler incursions, and erected military checkpoints around the Mosque and the Old City to secure the raids.
In a related development, thousands of settlers gathered at the Buraq Plaza west of the Aqsa Mosque, and Torah-themed light projections were displayed on the walls near Jaffa Gate in Occupied Jerusalem.
Additionally, the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, accompanied by a former Israeli prisoner and several rabbis, visited the Buraq Plaza to light the first Hanukkah candle. The holiday, which lasts eight days, is deeply connected to the concept of the so-called “Temple” in Jewish tradition.
Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and the rededication of the “Second Temple” in Jerusalem. Rituals include the daily lighting of the menorah, as well as the “Maccabees March,” which winds through the alleys of the Old City and around the Aqsa Mosque.
Palestinian groups have called on worshipers to maintain a strong presence at the holy site and in Occupied Jerusalem to resist the ongoing settler incursions, despite the restrictive and oppressive measures enforced by the Israeli authorities.
