Mufti of Jerusalem Condemns Israel’s Eviction of Worshipers from Al-Aqsa

Jerusalem, MINA – Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine has strongly condemned the raid earlier today, Sunday by Israeli police on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem and the forcible eviction of Muslim worshipers from the holy site, Wafa reported.

The Grand Mufti described the Israeli raid and the eviction of worshipers as a “severely dangerous attack on the sentiments and beliefs of Muslims,” adding that the Israeli escalation “aims at achieving the interests of extremist settler groups that seek a religious war in the region.”

He denounced the threats made by the so-called Israeli “Temple Mount groups” about their intention to break into the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan under the pretext of Jewish holidays.

Previously, scores of Israeli settler fanatics guarded by police broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, shortly after the police raided the holy site and forced Muslim worshipers who were staying there for worship out of the holy site, according to local sources.

The Jordan-run Islamic Waqf authority, in charge of the holy site, said scores of Israeli settlers entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate in groups and performed rituals there under the protection of Israeli police officers.

Last night, scores of Israeli police officers broke into the compound and forcibly evicted Muslim hundreds of Muslim worshipers out of the holy site. At least two worshipers were arrested by the police, according to witnesses.

For years, Israeli occupation authorities have been allowing settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis during the early morning hours, with the exclusion of Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship.

The Islamic Waqf has repeatedly described the settlers’ presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, saying that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli police and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)