FILE PHOTO: Undated photo of Jewish settlers storming Al Aqsa Mosque compound. WAFA
The Israeli settlers were led by extremist Israeli rabbi and MP Yehuda Glick.
Israeli police protected the settlers as they entered the compound in groups and performed rituals, according to WAFA.
Glick is known for advocating for the presence of Israeli settlers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest place of worship. He also advocates for the construction of a temple on the site, which is under the administration of Jordan’s Islamic Waqf.
Since 2003, Israeli occupation authorities have violated the longstanding status quo by allowing almost daily entry of settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, except on Fridays when non-Muslim visitation is permitted but praying is prohibited.
Meanwhile, local sources also reported on Friday that Israeli settlers erected tents illegally on Palestinian-owned land near Deir Ballut in the occupied West Bank province of Salfit.
According to the town’s mayor, Samir Nemr, dozens of Israeli settlers set up tents, raised Israeli flags and banners displaying racist slogans on Palestinian-owned land neighboring Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi.
Nemr expressed concern that this action might signal the establishment of a new Israeli settlement outpost in the area.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Sunday that the Israeli government is exploiting the absence of international will to enforce international law in occupied Palestine, taking advantage of worldwide double standards.
“[The reactions to Israeli crimes] are not accompanied by pressure, practical measures, sanctions or any form of accountability,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.
It criticized the UN Security Council for failing to fulfill its duties towards the Palestinian people and their suffering. The failure is eroding the credibility of the United Nations and international law.
This situation “paves the way for the law of the jungle and force to replace international legal legitimacy,” the foreign ministry added.
“Israel is hurrying to implement as many colonial projects as possible to deepen its annexation of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, perpetuating its apartheid regime.”
International law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, prohibits all Israeli settlement in occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Six-Day War, an action that has never been recognized by the international community.
Short link: