Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque Amid Calls for Palestinians to Maintain Constant Vigilance
On Tuesday, a significant number of Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, accompanied by extensive Israeli police security. In response, Palestinian religious officials reiterated their appeal for worshipers to sustain a continuous presence at this revered location.
Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday under heavy Israeli police protection, as Palestinian religious leaders renewed calls for worshipers to maintain a permanent presence at the holy site.
Jerusalemite sources said settlers carried out provocative tours and performed Talmudic rituals, including ritual prostration, inside the Mosque’s courtyards.
The extremist Temple group Beyadenu also published remarks by rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu calling on settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque and advance plans to build a Jewish synagogue at the site.
Settler incursions have increasingly included collective prayers, singing, dancing, raising Israeli flags and taking photographs near the Mosque’s western arcade.
Israeli authorities have meanwhile continued to impose restrictions on Muslim worshipers through checkpoints, entry bans and other measures targeting Palestinians from occupied Jerusalem and the 1948 occupied territories.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Commission and preacher of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, urged Palestinians to travel to the Mosque and keep it filled with worshipers throughout the week, particularly as the new Hijri year 1448 begins.
Sabri said a permanent presence of worshipers, students and those observing religious seclusion was the most effective way to protect the Mosque and preserve its Islamic identity, describing such presence as the first line of defense against attempts to Judaize the Mosque and impose new conditions inside it.
Sabri also urged Palestinians not to be deterred by Israeli checkpoints and restrictions, saying those prevented from reaching the Mosque after making the effort would still receive the religious reward for their intention.
He stressed the importance of strengthening children’s and future generations’ connection to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and preserving its religious and national significance.
