Ben Gvir Breaches Ibrahimi Mosque... Hundreds of Settlers Enter Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Palestinian Presidency: Incursions into Jerusalem and its holy sites aim to impose new facts on the ground
Extremist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and hundreds of settlers stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron today, Tuesday, under heavy guard by occupation forces.
These incursions come amid tightened Israeli measures in Hebron, where occupation forces closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to citizens from Monday until Wednesday, citing the need to secure settlers' celebrations of the so-called "Feast of the Throne." Military measures were also intensified, with checkpoints and electronic gates leading to the mosque sealed off.
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In Jerusalem, the Islamic Waqf Department reported that approximately 907 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning, protected by occupation police.
The Jerusalem Municipality stated that settlers' attacks on residents of the Old City represent a serious and systematic escalation, noting that the repetition of these attacks and the tightening of restrictions during Jewish holidays are driving further tension in the city.
In a press statement, the Jerusalem Municipality noted that dozens of settlers stormed the mosque today under the protection of occupation police and carried out attacks on the city's residents.
The Municipality condemned the settlers' attacks on Palestinians in the Old City, particularly in the Bab al-Amoud area, coinciding with their celebrations of the so-called "Feast of the Throne," along with the accompanying harassment and assaults on Palestinians, passersby, and shop owners.
It emphasized that these attacks are no longer isolated or incidental incidents, but have become noticeably repetitive with every Jewish religious occasion or holiday, targeting Old City residents, including the elderly, women, and shop owners, as well as journalists and photographers who are harassed and assaulted while performing their duties and documenting events on the ground.
The Municipality viewed the transformation of Jerusalem's streets and neighborhoods, particularly the Old City and its entrances, into arenas for power displays and the imposition of settlers' rituals at the expense of residents' lives and rights, as an assault on the right of Jerusalemites to freedom of movement, security, and the practice of their daily lives, thereby deepening the policy of imposing facts on the ground in the city.
It warned that the repetition of these attacks, coupled with tightened measures and restrictions on citizens' movement during Jewish holidays and religious occasions, creates a dangerous reality that pushes the city toward further tension and unrest.
The Jerusalem Municipality called on the international community, international human rights institutions, and media to assume their responsibilities, monitor the attacks and harassment faced by Jerusalemites, and work to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians and halt the policy of impunity.
The Palestinian Presidency had yesterday warned of the danger of Israeli occupation escalation against Jerusalem and its holy sites, affirming that the continued incursions by settlers and occupation government ministers constitute an attempt to impose new facts that will not grant the occupation any legitimacy.
Spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said in a press statement that "these condemned and provocative incursions constitute a blatant violation of the existing historical and legal status quo, and the occupation government is attempting to impose a policy of facts on the ground targeting the identity of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites."
Abu Rudeineh held the occupation government fully responsible for the serious consequences of these policies, which he said will push the entire region toward further tension and explosion.
Settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound continue in tandem with the so-called “Feast of the Throne,” which runs until October 2, amid tightened restrictions on Palestinian worshippers’ entry and a heavy deployment of occupation forces around the mosque and the Old City.
