Ben Gvir and thousands of settlers breached the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque... under strict security protection
In violation of the status quo that has been in place for decades at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led hundreds of Jews into its courtyards in Jerusalem on Thursday, marking what is referred to as the “Tisha B’Av” anniversary of the destruction of the Temple according to the Jewish calendar.
Approximately 1,300 settlers stormed the mosque’s courtyards under the protection of occupation police, who allowed the number of individuals in each group during such incursions to increase to around 150 settlers, in observance of the Jewish fast day known as Tisha B’Av, commemorating the “destruction of the Temple.”
In a video recorded inside the sanctuary, Ben-Gvir said, “On Tisha B’Av, we commemorate the destruction, but we also see significant progress at the Temple Mount. Look at what is happening here: Jews are praying and feeling that they are the owners of the place. This has never happened before.”
The Jerusalem Municipality stated in a press release that occupation forces are heavily deployed across the various courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, noting that settlers continued to perform Talmudic rituals during their incursions, including what was described as “epic prostration” in the eastern part of the mosque and chanting loudly.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the incursion into “Al-Aqsa,” along with the accompanying assaults on worshippers, provocative acts, the raising of Israeli flags, and inflammatory calls by extremist groups.
Jordan reaffirmed that such actions constitute a blatant violation of the historical and legal status quo at the Noble Sanctuary, a desecration of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a condemnable escalation, and a barbaric and unacceptable provocation.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi stated that the pace of incursions has significantly increased in recent months, reflecting a continuous plan to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque temporally and spatially. He warned of the dangers of this plan, which is championed by extremist Israeli groups that dominate the occupation government and direct its policies.
