Israeli Forces, Settlers Denounced for Breaking into Al-Aqsa Mosque
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Arab League condemned Israeli forces and settlers on Monday for breaking into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds.
The Arab League said in a statement that "the Israeli government is responsible for inflaming tensions and igniting the situation."
The pan-Arab bloc based in Cairo described the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the arrest of a number of Palestinians inside as a flagrant violation of international law, saying that Israel's actions incited Palestinians and Muslims in general.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli police broke into the holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem al-Quds to remove Muslim worshippers and provide a safe ground for ultranationalist Jews marking the Jewish New Year (from Sept. 25 to 27 this year), official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
In a separate statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said the Israeli provocative practices are a "serious violation and dangerous escalation that undermine the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian cause on the basis of the two-state solution."
The Palestinian Wafa agency also indicated that the Israeli regime military had launched a drone over Al-Aqsa Mosque, coinciding with the settlers' incursions.
On his part, journalist Ahmad Al-Safadi confirmed from within the Mosque that the Israeli military is cracking down on Palestinian men and women stationed at Al-Aqsa.
Al-Safadi pointed out that successive groups of Israeli settlers are storming Al-Aqsa and continuing their provocations under the guise of celebrating Jewish holidays, which he considered a dangerous development.
According to the Palestinian journalist, the occupation forces are encircling Palestinian women stationed at the Mosque in parallel with the storming of another group of Israeli settlers, highlighting that the Israeli Occupation Forces brutally attacked Palestinian men and women stationed at Al-Aqsa.
It is noteworthy that Al Mayadeen correspondent reported Monday that the Israeli occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque to secure the settlers' incursions and prevented men under the age of 40 from entering the compound to perform the Fajr (dawn) prayer.
The Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs condemned the settlers' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and violating its sanctity.
On Thursday, Israeli right-wing extremist Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque amid restrictions on the entry of worshipers, and toured the mosque's courtyards, starting from the Mughrabi Gate, guarded by the occupation forces.
Ben Gvir is one of the most notorious Israeli politicians, as he is infamous for constantly carrying out provocative tours in Al-Aqsa mosque and rallying illegal Israeli settlers that call for the death of Arabs and Palestinians alike while chanting racist slogans and slurs against Muslims and Arabs.
Before Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa, the occupation police tightened their presence at the gates of Al-Aqsa and prevented entry to it, especially from the Qattanin Gate.
