ISRAELI RIGHTISTS, INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS TOUR AQSA COMPOUND

Al Quds, 15 Safar 1436/8 December 2014 (MINA) – A group of Israeli rightists toured the Al-Aqsha Mosque compound on Monday under police escort, a mosque official said.

Director of Al-Aqsha, Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, told Ma’an that groups of Israeli right-wingers stormed the compound and toured its’ squares under the so-called foreign tourism program. Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

A group of Israeli intelligence officers also toured the compounds, he added.

The Ministry of Endowment complained to Israeli police, expressing their objection to the visits, al-Kiswani said.

Meanwhile, Israeli police detained a woman, Umm Radwan Omar, at one of the gates leading to the holy site. Omar usually gives religious lectures inside the compound.

Israeli police collected the identity cards of all Palestinian men and women who entered the compound on Monday.
The Al-Aqsha Mosque is sensitive for Palestinians due to its status as the third holiest site in Islam and its location in the heart of the Old City of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.

The Al-Aqsha Mosque compound, referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount, is also the holiest site in Judaism. (T/P006)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)