JERUSALEM

An Israeli Knesset member forced his way into the courtyard of the Al-Asqa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, a few days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to Israeli media.

Amit Halevi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, performed Talmudic prayers at the flashpoint site, Channel 7 reported.

“Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque) should not be changed during the month of Ramadan,” Halevi said in a video recorded from inside the Al-Aqsa compound.

The right-wing lawmaker said he plans to demand that Netanyahu and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir maintain settler incursions during the afternoon hours in Ramadan.

Since January, Israeli police, upon Ben-Gvir’s orders, have been providing protection to illegal settlers storming the Al-Aqsa compound, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

Police “previously intervened forcefully in all such activities. Today, they barely intervene and instead allow changes to the status quo, in line with directives from the police commissioner and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir,” it said.

“Loud prayer, singing accompanied by full prostration, and dancing have been permitted at the compound, and more recently Torah lessons have also been added as part of violations of the status quo.”

The status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque is the situation that existed before Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, under which the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, is responsible for managing the mosque's affairs.

However, in 2003, Israeli authorities changed this status by allowing illegal settlers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque without the approval of the Islamic Waqf, which demands an end to these incursions.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

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 Rania Abushamala in Istanbul