Scores of Israelis storm Al-Aqsa complex in Jerusalem

By Abdelraouf Arna'out
JERUSALEM (AA) – Scores of Israeli settlers on Wednesday forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian agency.

The Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem said in a brief statement that 62 settlers broke into the flashpoint site guarded by Israeli police.
Right-wing Israeli Rabbi Yehuda Glick was among the settlers who toured the site, the statement said.

Usually, Israeli settlers storm the complex every day in the morning and afternoon periods through its Al-Mughrabi Gate, southwest of the mosque.

Israeli police began allowing the settler incursions in 2003, despite repeated condemnations from the Islamic Endowment Department 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