Dozens of Jewish settlers storm Al-Aqsa complex

By Anees Barghouthy

JERUSALEM 

Dozens of Jewish settlers on Sunday forced their way into occupied East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a Palestinian official has said.

"At least 33 [Jewish] settlers stormed the holy compound through Al-Magharbeh Gate under the protection of Israeli police," Sheikh Omar al-Qiswani, Director of Al-Aqsa Mosque, told The Anadolu Agency.

"The settlers toured the complex, passing through Al-Qibali and Dome of the Rock mosques before leaving from Al-Silsila Gate," he said.

Al-Qiswani added that the settlers came in on three groups and tried to perform Talmudic rituals but were prevented by the mosque's Palestinian guards.

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 was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.

In September 2000, a visit to Al-Aqsa by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against Israel's decades-long occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.