Al-Aqsa Foundation: Israeli Knesset encourages storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Religious Endowments and Heritage has warned of a recommendation by the chairperson of the Knesset’s Interior Committee, Miri Regev, which aims to facilitate the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the festival of Hanukkah that starts on Thursday.

The Foundation explained in a statement that during the committee’s meeting on Monday, Regev, a Knesset member for the Likud-Beiteinu coalition, asked the Israeli forces to protect Jewish settlers while they stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the festival. Representatives of the Israeli forces attended the meeting on Monday headed by Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin and Rabbi Yehuda Glick, chairperson of the Fund for the Temple Mount and Temple Heritage organisations, as well as representatives from Israel’s Homeland Security Office.

Regev asserted that: “Jews are entitled to ascend to the Temple during the festival of Hanukkah. They should be allowed to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. We must organise times and places to allow them to perform their prayers.” Regev added that she will be holding a private meeting with the justice minister to discuss this issue.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation reaffirmed that referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque as the Temple is inaccurate, as there is no indication in the historical record to prove the Temple was built underneath the mosque. The foundation said that the Al-Aqsa Mosque stretches over 144 dunums of land and is considered one of the most sacred places for Muslims, pointing out that Israel’s alleged claims about the Temple are fabricated for political purposes.