Palestinian Ministry Says Al-Aqsa Compound Entered 27 Times in July
LONDON- Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on 27 occasions during July, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs, which said the visits were carried out under Israeli police protection and included senior Israeli political figures.
The ministry said settlers accessed the compound through the Moroccan Gate, the entrance controlled by Israeli authorities for non-Muslim visitors. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the groups were escorted by Israeli forces, performed Jewish religious rituals inside the compound and exited through the Chain Gate.
The ministry said Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, members of the Knesset and leaders of organizations advocating the construction of a Jewish temple at the site took part in some of the visits.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly called for expanded access for Jewish worshippers at the compound, a position that has drawn criticism from Palestinians and neighboring Arab states because of the site’s religious and political sensitivity.
According to the ministry, some Israeli activists performed what it described as the Talmudic ritual of “epic prostration,” bowing to the ground in prayer, while others raised Israeli flags during their visits.
The ministry also said Israeli authorities temporarily detained Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and preacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque, during July. It did not provide further details regarding the circumstances of the detention.
Reuters could not independently verify the ministry’s account, and the Israeli authorities were not quoted in the source material responding to the allegations.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif and revered as Islam’s third-holiest site, is also the location of the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. The compound has long been a focal point of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
East Jerusalem has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Middle East war. Israel considers the city its unified capital, a claim not widely recognized internationally. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state, and the area’s status remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Visits by Jewish groups to the compound, particularly those involving prominent Israeli officials or religious rituals, have frequently heightened tensions and drawn criticism from Palestinian authorities, who accuse Israel of altering the longstanding arrangements governing the site. Israel has repeatedly said it is committed to maintaining the existing status quo while allowing visits in accordance with security regulations.
