Israeli police, settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa complex

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday and evacuated worshippers from inside the site ahead of settler incursions, according to eyewitnesses.

Dozens of police forces were deployed inside the mosque courtyard before settlers were allowed into the site, the witnesses said.

Police forcibly evacuated Muslim worshippers from the mosque courtyard before allowing settlers to move through in groups, they added.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers have stormed the flashpoint compound since Sunday under heavy police protection to celebrate the week-long Jewish Passover holiday.

The Israeli police, meanwhile, imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian youths to Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the dawn prayer.

Tension has mounted across the Palestinian territories since last week when Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards and attacked worshippers, injuring hundreds.

Daily settler incursions into the flashpoint site to celebrate the Passover holiday have further inflamed the situation.

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.

Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.

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 Mahmoud Barakat