By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – Scores of Jewish settlers on Wednesday forced their way into Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa compound to mark the second day of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday, according to a Palestinian official.
“At least 159 Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa compound on Wednesday,” Firas al-Dibs, an official with Jerusalem’s Jordan-run Religious Endowments Authority, said in a statement.
Often backed by Israeli police, settlers frequently enter the mosque compound through the western Al-Magharbeh Gate.
Earlier this week, Jewish extremist groups called on supporters to converge on Al-Aqsa on Tuesday and Wednesday to mark Yom Kippur, one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar.
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 — in which the Al-Aqsa is located — during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. In 1980, Israel unilaterally annexed the entire city, claiming it as its “eternal and undivided” capital.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has imposed a general closure on the occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip for the duration of the holiday, which will end Wednesday evening.
According to an army statement, all checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank and between Israel and Gaza will remain closed for both days.
The army is expected to impose another general closure on the West Bank and Gaza during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1.
