Settler waves Israel flag in Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard

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An illegal Israeli settler today raised an Israeli flag in the grounds of Al-Aqsa Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

Following calls by extremist Israeli groups, illegal settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex today to mark Israel’s independence day, with one settler raising an Israeli flag before being told to take it down by occupation forces.

While Israelis mark their independence day today, Palestinians will commemorate 76 years since the Nakba – the ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine to make way for the creation of the state of Israel – tomorrow.

Settlers also placed an Israeli flag on the Mughrabi Gate area, the gate used by illegal Israeli settlers to storm the mosque.

Colonial Israeli settlers provocatively hung the Israeli flag on the Bab al-Maghariba at Al-Aqsa Mosque, as part of their celebrations of the Nakba. pic.twitter.com/VonvvG19yN

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) May 14, 2024

Palestinians accuse Israel of systematically working to Judaise East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, and obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and an area where non-Muslim prayer and rituals are forbidden by long-standing agreement.

However, since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.

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