EXTREMIST JEWISH SETTLERS STORM AL-AQSA MOSQUE COMPOUND

       Al-Quds (Jerussalem), 10 Dzulqa’idah 1434/16 September 2013 (MINA)  – Dozens of Jewish settlers stormed on Sunday Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the holy city of Jerusalem and performed rituals in the site, eyewitnesses said.

        About 50 settlers and rabbis stormed the mosque complex, the eyewitnesses told the Anadolu Agency as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

         Israeli police have stepped up security at the compound entrances, checking the IDs of the Palestinian visiting youths, they added.

        Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, has recently been the target of repeated violations by Jewish settlers, angering Palestinian Muslims.

         Last week, Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel entered the mosque compound in the company of his bodyguards and Israeli police officers.

         One day later, scores of Jewish settlers, backed by Israeli security forces, stormed the compound and performed Jewish prayers at the religious site.

         The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) had earlier called for opening the compound to Jews on all Jewish holidays.

        Jews refer to Al-Aqsa as the “Temple Mount,” claiming the area had been the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

        They believe their messiah will not arrive until a third temple is built on the site.

Israel turns Aqsa Mosque compound into ‘military garrison’

         Director of Al-Quds Endowments and Al-Aqsa Affairs Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib slammed Israeli security measures preventing thousands of Muslim worshippers from performing Friday prayers at the Aqsa Mosque, saying Israeli occupation forces had turned the holy site into “a military garrison.”

          Israeli occupation police spokeswoman Luba Samr said police would close off a number of roads in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) for the celebration of Yom Kippur, or “Day of Atonement,” the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

          “Arrangements have been taken to block some roads across Jerusalem from 4pm until 10pm local time on Saturday for Yom Kippur,” Samr told Anadolu Agency.

         According to Al-Khatib, Israeli police had restricted access to the old city and the Aqsa Mosque.

         Israeli police set up four checkpoints to check worshippers’ IDs and prevented a number of them from entering the site, he said.

         Usually, some 20,000 to 25,000 Muslim worshippers flock to the mosque each week for Friday prayers, but only 4,000 were allowed to enter the site today, said Al-Khatib.

        Addressing worshippers in today’s sermon, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri slammed the recent Israeli violations.

         “The [Israeli] occupation believes that now is the best time to target Al-Aqsa, given that all the Arab nations are currently preoccupied with internal crises,” he said.

           Jewish groups have asked the Israeli authorities to open the Aqsa compound to Jews on Saturday to commemorate Yom Kippur.

           The Knesset (Israeli occupation parliament) had earlier called for opening the compound to Jews on all Jewish holidays, according to the Aqsa Institute.(T/P02/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)