Israeli police on Tuesday banned non-Muslims from a contentious Jerusalem holy site until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following two days of clashes with Palestinian rioters at the site.
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The mosque’s social-media team, for its part, shared a video online of police wearing riot gear firing rubber bullets and forcing open the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in which a number of Palestinian youths were reportedly been hiding. While it is widely known as Al-Aqsa Holy Mosque, Jews refer to the site as the “Temple Mount” and believe it was the site of two Jewish temples destroyed in ancient times.
He went on to say that his ministry was in contact with the Jordanian authorities (which are technically responsible for East Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites) with a view to “halting Israeli violations and allowing Muslim and Christian worshippers to perform their religious obligations”.
Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement that during a “special meeting” Tuesday morning, Israeli police chose to close the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to foreign and non-Muslim worshipers on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, adding that as usual, it will be closed to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays.
Yesterday Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld claimed that protesters threw stones and other objects at police officers and Jewish worshippers in a nearby plaza.
Mr Momani called on the worldwide community to hold Israel accountable for its actions and see that it honours its responsibilities as an occupying power.
Palestinians are angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and their attacks on Palestinian property, saying the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the sacred site.
Despite this agreement, the Israeli authorities regularly allow Jewish visitors to enter the site – often under armed guard. Since October 2015, attacks by Palestinians have killed 32 Israelis and two USA citizens, while Israeli forces have shot and killed at least 196 Palestinians, more than half that Israel says were attackers.
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U.S.-mediated peace talks collapsed over two years ago.
