Israel rightists call for building synagogue in Al-Aqsa

JERUSALEM (AA) – Activists from the Israeli right wing have called on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build a synagogue in East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper on Tuesday.

The daily said the activists urged the government to open “the synagogue for the Jewish prayers."

This came during a meeting attended by scores of right-wing activists on Sunday, the newspaper said, but without giving the names of attendees.

Tension has escalated in Jerusalem since last month when Israeli police briefly shut Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Rahma Gate on the eastern wall of Jerusalem’s Old City, triggering angry Palestinian protests.

Ever since, Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians, including religious officials, from entering the flashpoint site.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

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.