Hundreds of extremist Jewish settlers desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem under police protection on Thursday morning amid tight Israeli restrictions on the presence of Palestinian citizens at the Islamic holy site and in the Old City’s streets.
According to the Islamic Awqaf Administration in Jerusalem over 1000 settlers including rabbis government officials and lawmakers entered the Mosque in different groups through its Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards.
Video footage circulated on the internet showed Israeli police officers assaulting and harassing some Muslim worshipers and Aqsa Mosque guards during their presence at the Islamic holy sites or at its entrances and gates.
Police officers also detained some Muslim worshipers and guards following settler provocations in the Mosque’s courtyards.
While those entering the compound have been ordered not to carry Israeli flags inside and to avoid doing anything provocative one settler was spotted wearing a shirt with the image of the Aqsa Mosque being destroyed by a fist next to a hand holding up a Jewish temple.
Another settler had a sticker emblazoned on his shirt that read “temple mount is in our hands” as other Orthodox Jews were entering the Islamic site under police escort.
Today’s mass desecration of the Aqsa Mosque by settlers came as the Israeli occupation police have beefed up security in east Jerusalem in the morning particularly in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City ahead of the flag march that is organized annually by extremist Jewish settlers.
Scores of police officers were deployed in the holy city as flag-bearing settlers slowly began to gather early on Thursday near the Aqsa Mosque compound to participate in the parade which celebrates the Israeli capture and occupation of east Jerusalem in 1967.
Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers are expected to participate in the march that has seen physical and verbal attacks on Palestinian citizens in the past few years. The march will take place on Thursday afternoon
Some settlers including police officers were seen dancing in circles while chanting slogans calling for building the alleged Jewish temple in place of the Aqsa Mosque.
Meanwhile hundreds of Palestinian stores in the Old City of Jerusalem have also been forced to shut their doors ahead of the march.
Three hours ahead of the march which will begin at 4 p.m. Israeli police forces imposed hundreds of closures and checkpoints in and around the Old City in order to secure the march cutting off Palestinian presence and activity in the area.
Most of the Palestinian businesses around the holy city or away from it are also closed because their owners are not able to reach them as a result of the traffic jams caused by the police which have turned the holy city into a military base.
These Israeli closures and measures also prevented Palestinian employees from going to their workplaces and students from going to their schools.
Dozens of roads leading from Palestinian neighborhoods to the Old City have been shut off to vehicles creating heavy traffic with local residents being unable to reach their destinations. Even those living inside the Old City are prevented from accessing their homes or moving around in the area.
