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870 settlers storm Al-Aqsa to mark Jewish holiday

August 1, 2017 at 4:50 pm

Hundreds of settlers storm Al Aqsa on 31 July, 2017 [Shehab Agency and Qudsn/Twitter]

Hundreds of far-right religious Israelis entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem this morning on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av.

Islamic Endowment spokesman Firas Al-Dibs told Ma’an that 870 Israeli Jews had entered the compound in large groups under heavy military protection between 7 and 11am, adding that several Israelis had performed Jewish religious rites in the compound.

While Jewish visitation is permitted to the compound, non-Muslim worship is prohibited according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.

This comes after thousands of Jews marched through Jerusalem’s Old City last night to mark the start of the religious holiday. They walked to the Wailing Wall and many were reported to have insulted Arabs and Palestinians along the way.