Dozens of Israeli settlers break into Al Aqsa Mosque, provoke worshippers

CAIRO – 2 November 2021: Dozens of Israeli settlers – guarded by Israeli police - broke into Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque Tuesday through Al Maghariba Gate – located on the western side of the mosque - and kept provoking worshippers, as reported by Youm7 citing local Palestinian media.  

Such provocations have been ongoing for years coupled with evicting original Palestinian residents from their homes substituting them with Israeli settlers. Currently, for the ninth day in a row, Al Youssefeya Cemetery located next to the fences of Old Jerusalem is being demolished to establish a public park.   

Head of the Islamic Tombs Committee Mostafa Abou Zahra told Wafa news agency that the cemetery includes historic tombs, and others of Iraqi and Jordanian soldiers. He added that Israeli authorities had covered those historic tombs with dust in order to erase the identity of the place.  

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry condemned in October Israeli court's decision, which grants Jewish worshipers the right to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of East Jerusalem.

In a press release, the ministry asserted the importance of respecting the historical and legal status of al Quds (Jerusalem), and Islamic and Christian sanctities in accordance with the international legitimate resolutions issued by the UN and UNESCO.

It also expressed its concern regarding the impact of such decision on the region’s security and stability. The ministry also urged the Israeli government not to put the decision into action.

In September, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas the latest developments of the Palestinian cause and peacemaking process.

According to presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady, Sisi stressed during the phone call that Egypt will continue exerting strenuous efforts toward the Palestinian cause in coordination with Palestinian side in order to revive the peace process and help the Palestinian people restore their legitimate rights and promote security and stability in the region.

Egypt and Palestine aim for the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem being its capital.