By Anees Barghouthy
JERUSALEM
Scores of Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers on Wednesday forced their way into occupied East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a Palestinian official has said.
"At least 75 Jewish settlers – backed by Israeli police – forced their way into the holy compound through the Al-Mugharbeh Gate," mosque director Sheikh Omar al-Qiswani told The Anadolu Agency.
"The settlers toured the complex, passing by the Al-Qibali Mosque and the Dome of the Rock Mosque before leaving," he added.
At the same time, roughly two dozen Israeli soldiers entered the compound from different gates, angering Muslim worshipers, a Palestinian complex guard, who preferred anonymity, told AA.
Tension has run high at the flashpoint mosque complex since Wednesday morning, when Israeli police imposed strict security measures on Muslim worshippers wishing to enter Al-Aqsa.
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 during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming Jerusalem as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.
