Dozens of Jewish settlers storm Jerusalem’s Aqsa complex
Some 94 settlers converge on flashpoint holy site passing through Al-Mugharbah Gate
File Photo
JERUSALEM
Dozens of Jewish settlers on Monday forced their way into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, according to a Palestinian agency.
“Around 94 Jewish settlers have entered the compound,” the Religious Endowments Authority -- a Jordan-run agency responsible for overseeing the city's Muslim and Christian holy sites, said in a statement.
According to the statement, the settlers entered the Al-Aqsa -- accompanied by Israeli police -- through the compound’s Al-Mugharbah Gate.
Israeli right-wing groups have called for large-scale incursions into the holy site on the occasion of Jewish New Year, which is celebrated on Monday.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the “Temple Mount,” claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
In a move never recognized by the international community, it annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital.
