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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks at the weekly cabinet meeting, inside the Western Wall [Al-Buraq Wall] tunnels of Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem, on May 21, 2023 [Kobi Gideon (GPO) / Handout) – Anadolu Agency]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday to celebrate the Jewish Hanukkah holiday, Anadolu reports.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate denounced Netanyahu’s visit to the mosque’s Western Wall (Al-Buraq Wall) “a new provocative move.”
The Al-Buraq Wall, called by Jews as the Western Wall or Wailing Wall, is a significant religious site for both Muslims and Jews and forms part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Netanyahu’s office shared photos of the premier, along with several officials, including US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, while visiting the Western Wall at the flashpoint site.
The eight-day Hanukkah holiday is marked from Dec. 14 to Dec. 22.
According to Palestinian authorities, at least 210 illegal Israeli settlers broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex to mark the occasion since Monday.
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, 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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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/O74hZCKKdpAOrcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.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.
Fanatical Jewish settlers, who are under the protection of Israeli police, storm Al-Aqsa Mosque during third day of the Sukkot holiday in East Jerusalem, on October 09, 2025. [Gazi Samad – Anadolu Agency]
Groups of illegal Israeli settlers on Thursday stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli police, local sources said, Anadolu reports.
The official news agency Wafa, citing the sources, said the illegal settlers entered the compound in groups, carried out provocative tours and performed Talmudic rituals while heavily guarded by Israeli forces.
On Tuesday, the Jerusalem Governorate said that a total of 182 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint site during morning and evening incursions and performed Talmudic rituals near the Dome of the Rock in the complex under the protection of Israeli police.
The governorate also noted that 778 foreign tourists also entered the mosque through a gate operated by the Israeli authorities.
According to official figures, 4,266 illegal settlers and around 15,000 foreign tourists accessed the mosque compound during November.
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.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.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.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir gestures to a supporter as he walks escorted by Israeli policemen through the Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025 [Menahem Kahana / AFP/ Getty Images]
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a large-scale police raid in the mixed cities of Lod and Ramla on Wednesday evening, accompanied by a substantial force from Israeli police and special units.
Videos posted by Ben-Gvir on the X platform showed police officers forcing Palestinian residents to lie face down on the ground, with shouting heard in the background. The footage also showed Ben-Gvir entering homes and walking through neighbourhoods while residents were handcuffed and surrounded by heavily armed officers.
Ben-Gvir claimed the operation aimed to “eradicate the phenomenon of weapons and gunfire” in Arab communities, praising the participation of the army, police, and Border Guard forces. Critics, however, described the raid as a publicity-driven show of force and a continuation of repressive policies targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel.
The incident sparked widespread outrage among Palestinian communities and rights groups, who accused Ben-Gvir of using policing operations as political theatre and escalating tensions within mixed cities.
The raid follows a series of highly controversial actions by Ben-Gvir, including repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and a visit to Negev Prison in late October, where he appeared in a video threatening Palestinian detainees and calling to execute them.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.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.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
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Fanatical Jewish settlers continue to raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in East Jerusalem, within the “Sukkot Holiday” (Feast of Tabernacles) in Jerusalem on October 12, 2025. [Gazi Samad – Anadolu Agency]
Illegal Israeli settlers staged 27 intrusions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem last month, official data showed on Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said in a monthly report that Israeli forces and illegal settlers stormed the flashpoint site, performed Talmudic rituals and dances, and offered plant sacrifices within the mosque courtyards in October.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with a number of Knesset members, also raided the mosque to mark a Jewish holiday last month, the ministry said.
Since assuming his post in 2022, Ben-Gvir has forced his way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex 13 times, including 10 times since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, according to the ministry.
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.
The ministry also said that the Israeli army prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of Hebron in the occupied West Bank 96 times last month.
According to the report, the Ibrahimi Mosque witnessed the raising of Israeli flags, provocative tours by the Israeli forces, and the placement of religious equipment, including Torah stands, wooden cutters, plastic chairs, tents, loudspeakers, and musical instruments.
Israeli attacks have escalated across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, killing more than 1,065 Palestinians and injuring nearly 10,000 others, according to Palestinian figures.
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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.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.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
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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.
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.
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/O74hZCKKdpAKeir 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.Vote Labour for Genocide.
