JerusalemIsraeli settlers have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the heavy escort of security forces at a time of boiling tensions over Tel Aviv’s siege of Islam’s third holiest site.
Footage circulated across social media on Monday showed the Israelis ambling around comfortably at the sensitive place as Palestinian worshipers squatted outside the compound.
Israeli forces also dispersed protesters staging a sit-in protest in front of the metal detectors the regime has set up at the entrance to restrict Palestinian access.
Israel fully closed off the compound to Muslims after a reported shootout on July 14 near the site that left two Israeli soldiers and three Palestinians dead. The move sparked far-and-wide condemnations across the Muslim world.
It restored access to the compound later, but placed metal detectors at its front, prompting Muslims to refuse entering the site.
Those participating in the sit-in include staffers of the al-Quds Islamic Waqf (Endowment) organization, which is trusted with controlling and managing the Islamic edifices on and around the compound. Israel evicted the staffers as part of its crackdown, and now the body says it has been fully incapacitated in exercising its duties.
The Israeli security forces regularly allow extremists to enter the compound under police protection, while restricting Palestinian access.
Amid the escalation, a footage has appeared online showing a female Palestinian youngster rolling out her prayer rug and wearing full-body veil before beginning to say her prayers close to one of the gates leading to the site.
Also on Monday, Israeli military forces raided the house of a former commander of al-Aqsa Brigades, an armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, in the city of Nablus in the West Bank and detained the late officials sister and her child.
Earlier, Israeli forces closed off the Huwara gate in the city, triggering clashes with Palestinian youths, which injured two of the protesters, and led to the arrests of two others.
Arab League says Israel ‘playing with fire’ at holy site
The Arab League on Sunday accused Israel of playing with fire with new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site.
Jerusalem is a red line, its chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said in a statement, adding that no Arab or Muslim will accept violations against the citys holy sites.
Deadly clashes have rocked Jerusalem since Israeli authorities installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack on July 14 that killed two policemen.
Israeli forces raid home of Palestinian attacker, arrest brother
Palestinians view the measure as an Israeli attempt to assert further control over the site, the third most holy place in Islam and the most revered site in Judaism.
Abul Gheit accused Israels government of adventurism and said its moves could trigger a crisis with the Arab and Muslim world.
The compound, which includes the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, has been the focal point of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians for decades.
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