Occupation: Al-Aqsa Mosque closed to Muslim Worshippers
The Islamic Waqf department, the Muslim authority that manages the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, said that the Israeli police had restricted access to the Mosque since the morning, allowing only the elderly to enter.
However, this changed abruptly and all Muslims of all ages were barred from entering the holy place, which is located in al-Quds’ Old City, Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the Israeli police allowed Jewish extremists to enter the holy compound in the morning and perform rituals and tours in violation of the status quo at the Mosque, which stipulates that it is a solely Muslim worship area.
Hardline Israeli legislators and settlers regularly storm the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city, a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians. Such mass settler 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.
The al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli regime enables the Jewish visitation of al-Aqsa even though an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government in the wake of Israel’s occupation of East al-Quds in 1967 prohibits non-Muslim worship at the compound.
Source: Agencies
