Zionist Settlers Violate Al-Aqsa Mosque; Palestinian Access Restricted
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, dozens of Zionist settlers launched a new incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque, engaging in provocative tours within its courtyards and performing Talmudic rites in the eastern part of the mosque, as reported by the Palestinian News Agency Shehab. Concurrently, the Israeli regime’s police continued to enforce stringent limitations and obstacles against Palestinian worshippers, confiscating the identification cards of Palestinians attempting to enter the mosque at its external entrances to facilitate the settlers’ access.
In October, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs reported that Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed 26 incursions by settlers and Israeli police during September alone. These incursions coincide with increased calls from extremist groups, known as the ‘Temple’ groups, advocating for expanded settler access and the performance of Talmudic rituals inside the mosque. Israeli authorities persist in restricting free access for worshippers to Al-Aqsa Mosque by intensifying entry measures and confiscating the identification cards of Palestinians at the mosque’s entrances. Hundreds of Palestinians have also been banned from entering the holy site for varying periods.
The incursions by settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque continue systematically, excluding Fridays and Saturdays. Settler groups are also demanding greater control over the site, while restrictions against worshippers, mosque guards, and Palestinian civilians within the mosque remain in place. These developments have heightened Palestinian anxieties regarding attempts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque and alter its existing historical and legal status, particularly as organized incursions, the performance of Talmudic rituals in the mosque’s courtyards, and restrictions on Palestinian entry grow increasingly frequent.
