Al-Aqsa Mosque defiled yet again by Jewish settlers under police guard

Hundreds of extremist Jewish settlers desecrated Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday to mark the seventh day of the Sukkot holiday in its courtyards, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

According to local sources, hundreds of settlers defiled the mosque in different groups under police escort on Wednesday morning. A large number of settlers also rallied in Al-Aqsa Mosque’s western wall area while carrying Israeli flags and performing different Jewish prayers.

Since the one-week Sukkot holiday started last Thursday, the Israeli police have closed many roads and neighbourhoods in Jerusalem and intensified their presence within and around the city. Several Palestinians have been banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, and others have been summoned for interrogation.

All of Israel’s settlers and settlements are illegal under international law. On 19 July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion reiterating that settlers and settlements contravene Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and are “unlawful”. Although advisory, legal experts have points out that the laws upon which such opinions are based are binding.

READ: Israel plans to let Jewish settlers change status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, warns Islamic Council