Incident sparks fresh tensions amid ongoing regional tension

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

Israeli occupiers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday and raised the Israeli flag during the raid, amid rising tensions in the West Bank.

The group reportedly forced their way into the site through the Mughrabi Gate, one of the main entrances to the compound, under heavy police protection, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Videos circulating on social media showed some of the occupiers carrying out Jewish Talmudic rituals and prayers inside the compound, including what is described as “epic prostration,” particularly in the eastern section of the mosque area.

Photos shared online also showed two individuals raising the Israeli flag within the compound, with the Dome of the Rock visible in the background. The act has been widely described by Palestinians as provocative and highly sensitive

The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem says such actions violate the long-standing status quo arrangement at the holy site. However, Israeli police have not intervened to stop these practices, according to reports.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is regarded as the third holiest site in Islam. It is also known in Judaism as the Temple Mount, believed to be the location of ancient Jewish temples.

Since 2003, Israeli authorities have allowed such entries at specific times each day, except on Fridays and Saturdays, a policy that Palestinians say has contributed to repeated tensions at the site.

Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to change the identity of East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque area, and of undermining its Arab and Islamic character. They maintain that East Jerusalem should serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation in 1967 or its later annexation in 1980.

Source: Anadolu