Groups of settlers renewed their incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem today, under heavy security protection by Israeli occupation forces, in an escalation that adds to the series of ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites in the city.
Details of the raid and provocative tours
Local sources reported that dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in successive groups, where they carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, received explanations about the alleged “Temple”, and performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern area of the mosque, under the protection of occupation police officers who accompanied them to secure the route of the incursion.
These incursions usually take place through the Mughrabi Gate, whose keys have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967. It is used as a daily starting point (except Friday and Saturday) for the intruders to enter, in an attempt to impose a new reality aimed at changing the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Widespread arrest campaign in the West Bank
Concurrently with the tensions in Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces launched a widespread raid and search campaign in various areas of the occupied West Bank. These operations resulted in the arrest of at least 13 Palestinian citizens after their homes were raided and their contents ransacked.
The arrests and military operations were concentrated in the governorates of Jericho, Bethlehem, and Nablus, where these areas witness almost daily raids accompanied by confrontations between Palestinian youths and the raiding forces, which increases the state of field tension throughout the Palestinian territories.
Historical context and the risks of partition
These events take on a particularly dangerous dimension given Israel's ongoing efforts to impose a temporal and spatial division of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, similar to what occurred at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. This policy involves allocating specific times for settler incursions (morning and afternoon periods) and preventing or restricting Muslim worshippers from entering during those times.
Palestinians and the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem consider these practices a blatant violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the exclusive right of Muslims, and an infringement upon the Hashemite custodianship of the holy sites. These incursions frequently lead to waves of escalation and confrontations, given the immense religious and symbolic significance of Al-Aqsa in the hearts of Palestinians and the wider Muslim world.
