Palestine denounces incursion of al-Aqsa compound by Israeli settlers

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs has strongly denounced the desecration of the al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli settlers in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Hossam Abu al-Rub in remarks on Sunday said that the daily incursions had been turned into systematic violations aimed at controlling and Judaizing the mosque or part of it.

He further stressed that the Israeli regime was spreading the hateful racism by falsifying facts and distorting history about the holy Muslim sites.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, earlier said that Israel was undermining the security and stability of the region, warning that Tel Aviv is dragging the region into a religious war that will burn the entire region.

In their latest desecration assault, Israeli settlers earlier in the day forced their way into the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound under tight protection of Israeli forces 

The Israeli forces attacked Muslim worshipers, closed the gates of al-Qibli prayer hall with iron chains and detained some of the worshipers.  They also fired tear gas at the worshipers canisters disperse them. 

Separately, spokesman for Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dhaifullah al-Fayez in a statement also condemned on Sunday the continued Israeli aggression against the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Fayez, whose country is the custodian of the holy sites at the compound, stressed  that the Tel Aviv regime's actions were against the historical and legal status quo of the mosque and in violation of  international law.

The ministry in a protest note, also called on Israel to stop its constant violations, respects the sanctity of the mosque and the freedom of worshipers.

Israel occupied the Old City of Jerusalem al-Quds during the Six-Day War of 1967. After the end of hostilities, the regime allowed the Awqaf to retain authority over the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or the Haram al-Sharif.

Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this year condemned "in the strongest terms" the Israeli excavations and called them "an extension of the Israeli plans to Judaize the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings."

Palestinian pres. spokesman: Israel undermining regional security, dragging region into religious war

Palestinian president

The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas has also recently censured the Israeli regime over attempts to change the geographic and demographic character of occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.

Hamas has also attributed increasing settlement activities in al-Quds to normalization agreements between some Arab countries and Israel, emphasizing that such accords had emboldened the regime to annex more Palestinian lands.

Israeli agriculture minister, settlers storm al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied al-Quds

An Israeli minister and a group of extremist settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Israel lays claim to the entire Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the city’s eastern sector as occupied territory and Palestinians consider it the capital of their future state.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 478, adopted on August 20, 1980, prohibits countries from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem al-Quds.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir