The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has condemned escalating violations of radical settlers against the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Haram Al-Sharif Compound and raids carried out under heavy protection of Israeli police.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Haitham Abu Alfoul, on Monday said the escalation of violations and provocative practices at the Mosque, and surrounding Islamic cemeteries, are considered blatant and unacceptable infringements of the international law and the legal and historical status quo of Jerusalem and its sanctities.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 144 dunums, is a place of worship for Muslims only, he said, noting that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department is the sole authority to supervise its affairs and manage entries.
On Monday morning, Israeli forces imposed restrictions on the gates of the Mosque and prohibited the entrance of under 40-year-old Palestinians; in preparation for a police-protected raid of hundreds of diehard settlers. Two Palestinians were injured and five others were arrested during the storming.
Source: Jordan News Agency