Al-Aqsa mosque

Illegal settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, hold prayers for slain US activist Charlie Kirk

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Al-Aqsa Mosque and its courtyard in the Old City of East Jerusalem are observed to be empty following Israeli army launched preventive, precise, and coordinated strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program, on June 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Scores of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday and held prayers for US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed earlier this month, Anadolu reports.

The Hebrew-language site Srugim reported that the ritual was led by far-right Rabbi and former Knesset member Yehuda Glick, a prominent advocate of expanding Jewish access to the site.

Kirk, a conservative activist known for supporting US President Donald Trump and Israel, was fatally shot in the neck while delivering a speech at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said illegal settlers entered the mosque in groups, performing rituals, singing and dancing inside the courtyards as preparations for the Jewish New Year gathered pace.

Wafa added that right-wing settler groups are mobilizing to bring larger numbers of illegal settlers into the flashpoint site during the holiday period.

On Saturday, the Israeli army said it would send reinforcements to the occupied West Bank amid heightened alert ahead of the holidays.

READ: Al-Aqsa preacher Skeikh Sarandah barred by Israel police from entering mosque after his brief arrest

According to Jerusalem’s Islamic Endowments Directorate, violations at Al-Aqsa have escalated sharply since far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir became Israel’s national security minister in late 2022.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Palestinians see the settler incursions into Al-Aqsa as part of efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic identity. They insist East Jerusalem is the capital of a future Palestinian state, in line with international resolutions rejecting Israel’s 1967 occupation and its 1980 annexation of the city.

Since October 2023, at least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
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Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingIllegal settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, hold prayers for slain US activist Charlie Kirk

Illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque amid tension

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Dozens of fanatical Jewish groups, accompanied by Israeli police, storm the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque within the Purim celebrations in Old City of Eastern Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. [Mohammad Hamad – Anadolu Agency]

Scores of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, local media said.

The settlers toured the compound and performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli police, the official news agency Wafa reported.

The settler incursion came amid rising tensions across the occupied West Bank over Israel’s deadly assault on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

READ: Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli provocations at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingIllegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque amid tension

Far-right Israeli minister leads mass illegal settler incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque

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Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (3rd R) led a large group of illegal settlers in a provocative march and mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on August 03, 2025. [Jerusalem Islamic Waqf – Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a large group of illegal settlers in a provocative march and mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem early Sunday, coinciding with the Jewish commemoration of Tisha B’Av.

According to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, at least 1,251 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the mosque compound in the morning hours performing Talmudic rituals, singing, and dancing under heavy police protection.

Among the participants was Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi, who joined Ben-Gvir in what Palestinian officials called an “unprecedented escalation in political and religious incitement,” according to Wafa news agency.

The Jerusalem Governorate warned of the seriousness of this large-scale, organized incursion, calling it a “systematic violation” of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the rights of Palestinian worshippers, Anadolu reports.

The incursion included assaults on Muslim worshippers, journalists, and Al-Aqsa guards.

In a statement from within the compound, Ben-Gvir said “the Temple Mount is for the Jews, and we will remain here forever,” sparking widespread condemnation.

READ: Ben-Gvir slams German FM over Palestine statehood recognition plans

The incursion came hours after Ben-Gvir led another illegal settler march through the Old City of Jerusalem after midnight.

The events were organized by extremist “Temple Mount” groups, which had called for mass entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday to mark Tisha B’Av, which they refer to as the “anniversary of the Temple’s destruction.”

The Jerusalem Governorate described this year’s Tisha B’Av as one of the most dangerous days for Al-Aqsa, citing plans by the groups to designate Aug. 3 as the “largest day of incursions.”

The statement added that the Israeli government’s full alignment with illegal settler groups was emboldening efforts to alter the religious and legal status of the mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

READ: Palestine warns against mass storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by illegal Israeli settlers

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Continue ReadingFar-right Israeli minister leads mass illegal settler incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque

More than 200 illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection

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A group of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied East Jerusalem on December 26, 2024. [Screengrab/AA]

More than 200 illegal Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli police, authorities said Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

Anonymous sources from the Islamic Endowment Department said 217 illegal Israeli settlers raided the holy site.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a local rights group, said 124 settlers stormed the mosque in the morning, and 93 broke into the site later in the day.

The settlers performed Talmudic rituals within the courtyards under the protection of Israeli forces, the Wafa news agency in Palestine reported.

READ: Palestinian child killed by Israeli army during West Bank raid

The settler raid came after the reopening of the mosque following 12 days of it being closed due to a state of emergency that Israel implemented during its attacks on Iran.

Israel began allowing Israeli settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound in 2003, despite objections from the Islamic Endowment Department.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

READ: Israel bans entry into Al-Aqsa Mosque “again” until further notice

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Continue ReadingMore than 200 illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection

Qatar warns of ongoing Israeli escalation in Al-Aqsa

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241227-qatar-warns-of-ongoing-israeli-escalation-in-al-aqsa

A view of the Qubbat al-Sakhra (Dome of the Rock) at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, where the first qibla of Muslims, in Jerusalem on April 19, 2024 [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Qatar has strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir under the protection of occupation forces.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that repeated attempts to undermine the religious and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque are not only an attack on Palestinians but also on over two billion Muslims worldwide.

It also warned about the continuation of the aggressive policies adopted by the Israeli government in the occupied Palestinian territories, highlighting their impact on increasing violence in the region and undermining efforts for a two-state solution and achieving a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace.

Qatar reaffirmed its steadfast position on justice for the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their full right to practice their religious rituals without restrictions and to establish their independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Earlier yesterday, extremist minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque with a group of settlers. They were heavily guarded by occupation police. This is thought to be part of his efforts to mark the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

READ: Israeli minister storms Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem

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Continue ReadingQatar warns of ongoing Israeli escalation in Al-Aqsa