Jewish settlers storm Al-Aqsa complex in Jerusalem

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Dozens of Jewish settlers stormed Thursday the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian official.

“Some 194 extremists have stormed Al-Aqsa mosque today,” Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for Jerusalem's Jordan-run Religious Endowments Authority, told Anadolu Agency.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

In a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital.

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.