Palestine warns of escalating raids by Israeli settlers on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Palestine warned on Sunday against escalating intrusions by illegal Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the settler raids will have grave consequences on the historical and legal status quo at the flashpoint site and in the occupied city.

“East Jerusalem is an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory and is the capital of the State of Palestine,” the ministry stressed.

It called on the UN and its agencies “to assume their responsibilities and take urgent action to save the city of Jerusalem and its Christian and Islamic holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque, and provide protection against the (Israeli) occupation’s unilateral escalatory measures and plans.”

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.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, illegal Israeli settlers carried out at least 25 raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem last month.

The ministry also said that Israeli forces closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for 11 days, preventing Christians from praying there, under the pretext of security concerns.

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 recognized by the international community.