Israel provokes Palestinians by allowing settlers into Al-Aqsa

CAIRO – 30 July 2017: At least 140 Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through Bab al-Maghrabeh Gate, on Sunday morning. The settlers toured the compound and performed religious rituals under heavy escort of Israeli forces.

Firas al-dbs, a media official from the Islamic Waqf (endowment) department in Jerusalem, said in a statement that following the settlers intrusions, the Israeli forces detained Raed Zaghir a member of Al-Aqsa Mosque Construction Committee and inspected the personal identities of worshipers at the compound.

Provocative settlers’ raids escalated during the past two weeks, while restrictions were imposed on the entry of Palestinian worshipers to the compound.

Furthermore, the Israeli forces stormed the Palestinian city Ramallah on Sunday morning and broke into Palestinian houses claiming that they were searching for wanted persons. On Friday the Israeli forces detained four Palestinians at Al-Biereh town, northern Ramallah city.

Since July 14, the Israeli forces escalated violence against Palestinians following the killing of three Palestinian youth and two Israeli soldiers at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Israeli forces attacked Palestinian demonstrators who protested against the Israeli measures including closing Al-Aqsa Mosque and placing metal detection gates at the entrances of the mosque.

On July 21, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced dismissing all relations with the Israeli side including the security coordination in a response to continuous Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque and compound.

The United Nations Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned on Monday that Al-Aqsa crisis threatens to create potential catastrophic cists beyond the walls of the Old City transforming the conflict to a religious one, according to the MidEast Quartet Envoys Joint Statement on escalating tensions and violent clashes in and around the old city of Jerusalem.