Al-Quds, MINA – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, an action Palestinian authorities denounced as a provocative move during the Jewish Hanukkah holiday.
According to a report by Anadolu, Netanyahu’s visit was to the Western Wall (known to Muslims as Al-Buraq Wall), which forms part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. The Jerusalem Governorate issued a statement condemning the visit as “a new provocative move.”
Photos shared by Netanyahu’s office showed the Prime Minister at the Western Wall alongside several officials, including US Ambassador Mike Huckabee. The visit coincides with the eight-day Hanukkah holiday, observed from December 14 to 22.
Palestinian authorities reported that since Monday, at least 210 Israeli settlers had also entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex to mark the occasion. The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, and its status is a central point of tension.
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Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 war and annexed the entire city in 1980, a move not recognized by the international community. Visits by Israeli officials and settlers to the sensitive area are often viewed by Palestinians as violations of the status quo and escalate tensions.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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