Israeli Settlers Attack Islamic Museum of Al-Aqsa Mosque
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A group of Israeli settlers stormed into the Islamic museum of the al-Aqsa Mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) amid rising tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The settlers forced their way into the mosque under the protection of Israeli forces in their latest acts of violence against the holy Islamic site.
According to a recent report by the Palestinian non-governmental organization of the al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage, nearly 14,000 Israelis, most of them extremist settlers, have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound since the beginning of 2014.
In November alone, more than 1,200 Israelis entered the place, including 1,081 settlers, 104 soldiers and 22 Israeli intelligence officers, the report noted on December 4.
Over the past weeks, the al-Aqsa Mosque has been the scene of clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli settlers and troops, Press TV reported.
Israel has over the past decades tried to change the demographic makeup of al-Quds by constructing illegal settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.
The al-Aqsa Mosque compound, located in the Israeli-occupied Old City of al-Quds, is a flashpoint holy Islamic site. The location of the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia.