Israeli settlement societies called for intensifying settler incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem in order to mark the 50th anniversary of occupying Jerusalem and to celebrate the so-called reunification of Jerusalem.
The calls coincide with the US President Donald Trump’s visit to Bethlehem next week in order to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Head of the Supreme Islamic Committee in Occupied Jerusalem Ekrema Sabri said these provocative calls will lead to more conflict and tension in the area.
Director of the al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani pointed out that 62 settlers along with 49 Israeli guides and students stormed al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday.
Kiswani told the PIC reporter that Israeli police offered protection to settlers during the incursions and continued to restrict the access of Muslim worshipers to the holy shrine.
