Jerusalem (UNA/WAFA) – Settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday, under the protection of the Israeli occupation police, coinciding with the so-called Jewish “Purim” holiday.
Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in groups, conducted provocative tours of its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of occupation forces.
Today, Thursday, the biblical holiday of Purim begins and continues until Sunday, March 16.
The Islamic Endowments Department stated that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli police. They conducted provocative tours of its courtyards, received explanations about the alleged "temple," and performed religious rituals in front of the Dome of the Rock before withdrawing from the courtyards through the Chain Gate.
The so-called "Temple" organizations and settler groups exploit Jewish holidays to intensify their raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque and perform Talmudic rituals, in flagrant and repeated violations of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Coinciding with the settlers' incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, the occupation forces are imposing strict measures on worshippers' entry into the compound, intensifying their military presence at its gates, while continuing their policy of expelling worshippers, both male and female, and prominent figures from Jerusalem and the 1948 territories from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, with the aim of emptying it.
Settlers have been storming Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of Ramadan, with the occupation police setting the hours for these raids between 7 and 11 a.m.
The invading settlers are keen to perform the ritual of prostration (the epic prostration) in Al-Aqsa Mosque on a daily basis, and they also continue to perform Talmudic rituals and public group prayers in the courtyards of the sanctuary and at the mosque's gates.
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