Palestinian uproar as Israel puts loudspeakers in Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel soldiers installed loudspeakers over the northern and western walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The speaker system allows Israeli forces to further disturb and violate Muslim worshippers in the mosque by making announcements and instructions to those in the compound.

It is the third set of loudspeakers Israeli authorities have set up since 2017, enabling them to broadcast to the northern side of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound from the inside and outside, in parallel with the one run by the Islamic Waqf (endowment) in charge of the religious site.

Jordan has condemned the move as part of what it described as “continuous Israeli violations”.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Deifallah Fayez, said the Israeli forces’ “absurd practices” at the UNESCO world heritage site are “irresponsible and constitute a provocation of the feelings of Muslims around the world.”

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He urged the international community to shoulder its responsibility and exert pressure on Israel to halt its attacks that violate international law.

The former grand mufti of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Ekrima Sabri, told Middle East Eye that Israel seeks to impose its sovereignty over the mosque and undermine the Islamic Waqf.

He said: “The occupation’s measures against Al-Aqsa are invalid and illegal. We do not recognise them. We hold the Israeli government responsible for violating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa, because it is directly responsible for any aggression and it is the one that protects the settlers storming the site, encouraging them to increase their numbers.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the 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 recognised by the international community.

READ: Palestinian activists suffer under al-Aqsa entry bans