Scores of Israelis storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa complex to celebrate Hanukkah

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Scores of Israeli settlers on Monday forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, according to a Palestinian official.

The official with the Jordan-run Jerusalem Endowment Department said 192 settlers entered the flashpoint site in groups through the mosque’s Al-Mugharbah Gate.

Israeli police imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers into the site during the settlers’ tours, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Israeli Jewish extremist groups have called on settlers to converge on Al-Aqsa complex to celebrate the 8-day Hanukkah holiday, which started on Dec. 18.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the “Temple Mount”, claiming it had been 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar