Right-wing Israeli rabbi storms Al-Aqsa Mosque complex

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Right-wing Israeli rabbi Yehuda Glick forced his way Tuesday into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound into occupied East Jerusalem.

Glick, a former member of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament), posted a video of him while touring the flashpoint site.

"We pray for this government to achieve peace among us, to move us to a comfortable economy, security and affection among us," Glick said of the new Israeli coalition government that was approved by the Knesset on Sunday.

Dozens of Israeli settlers also stormed the complex through its Al-Mughrabi Gate, southwest of the mosque, under police protection.

Israeli police began allowing the settler incursions in 2003, despite repeated condemnations by the Islamic Endowment Department, which oversees religious sites in Jerusalem.

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.

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.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara