KNESSET RECOMMENDS ‘TIGHT SECURITY’ FOR JEWS ENTERING AL AQSA ON HOLIDAYS

Tel Aviv, 29 Dzulqa’dah 1435/24 September 2014 (MINA) – A Knesset committee recommended pressure to be mounted on the Israeli police to provide the highest level of protection for settlers wanting to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish forthcoming holidays.

This came during a special meeting held Monday by the ‘Internal Affairs Committee’ to discuss ways to provide security for extremist settlers on their break-ins of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holidays, starting on Tuesday, ALRAY, Palestinian Media Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

According to Israeli sources, the meeting was noisy, where the committee chairperson of the right Likud party Miri Regev threatened to question the Internal Security Minister and the Police Commissioner about ‘harassment’ that the settlers are exposed to in their collective tours of the holy mosque courtyards.

The media officer at Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage, Mahmoud Abu Atta, said the Israeli police stationed at the gates of the Al Aqsa handed five worshipers coming out military orders of deportation from the mosque for 40 days.

He reported that the Israeli police began an arrest campaign against youths of the Old City of Jerusalem, and especially in the Hetta and Saadi alleyways, to make the way for the settlers to desecrate the holy place tomorrow.

Abu Atta said the number of today’s intruders of settlers and army soldiers was 153, led by Likudist Rabbi Yehuda Glick.

Today morning, the Israeli police tightened its security procedures inside and outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, denying all women access to it.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is witnessing almost daily series of raids by settlers and police escorts, in an attempt to divide the praying time between Muslim and Jews in it, prior to its spatial division as was the case of the Al-Haram Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.(T/R05/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)