Forty-seven illegal ‘Israeli’ settlers on Monday invaded the Al-Aqsa compound in the occupied East Jerusalem.
According to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf (the trust that governs and maintains the Haram al-Sharif), the settlers broke through the al-Mugharbah gate on Monday morning and forced their way onto the complex.[1]
The invasion was the second in less than two days. On Sunday, 106 illegal settlers under police protection stormed the Haram, in which the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of Rock are located.
The Haram al-Sharif lies under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, and as such it is illegal under international law for settlers and occupation forces to enter, let alone stage violent invasions.
Occupation authorities have disregarded the laws and rules that also apply to them, regularly flaunting their power without any fear of repercussions or consequences. As a result, extremist settlers are emboldened to engage such acts of violence without facing any justice.
‘Israeli’ invasions of the compound are commonplace and occur regularly, dating back to 1967 when Jerusalem was captured by occupation forces in the Six-Day War. These invasions are sanctioned by the occupying authorities and take place under police protection.
During the 1967 war, ‘Israel’ forcibly took control of Jerusalem when General Mordechai Gur and his battalion entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque and raised the Israeli flag on the Dome of the Rock. Occupation forces also burned copies of the Qur’ān, confiscated keys to the Haram, and prevented worshippers from entering the Mosque.[2]
In 1969, an Australian tourist set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque that destroyed many priceless artefacts, [2] including the famed pulpit of the Ayyubid commander Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, who defeated the Crusader armies and liberated Jerusalem in 1187.
In 2000, then-Prime Minister and butcher of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon, Ariel Sharon, stormed the Haram alongside extremist settlers under the protection of police. This invasion heralded the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
Following Sharon’s invasion, ‘Israeli’ occupation forces committed a massacre against defenceless Palestinian worshippers in the Haram al-Sharif, killing and wounding dozens. [2]
Occupation authorities have also dug tunnels beneath the foundation of the Haram in a bid to discover the Temple of Solomon and prove that the area belongs to Jews. Such excavation work has caused immense damage to the Haram, with cracks appearing in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and destabilising its foundation.
The Haram al-Sharif is the 3rd holiest site for Muslims. It was the first Qiblah and the place where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) led all the Prophets (‘alayhim al-Salām) in prayer before he ascended to Heaven in the Night of Ascension.
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Source: www.islam21c.com
Notes:
[1] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/dozens-of-israeli-settlers-break-into-al-aqsa-complex/2137447
[2] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170801-israeli-attacks-on-al-aqsa-mosque/
