Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) condemns the latest attack on the right to worship at occupied Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque after the holy site was stormed by far-right Israeli settlers.
The invasion came after Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinian worshippers under the age of 40 from entering, before throwing open the gates to a large number of settlers.
Reports suggest that the occupation officers first entered the mosque at dawn and took video footage inside in preparation for the settlers’ actions later in the day.
The shocking events coincided with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, and settlers were told to read extracts from the Torah inside Al Aqsa.
The invasion came amid rising tensions in Jerusalem after several attacks carried out against Palestinians in the city. Parts of Jerusalem are currently closed off as Israeli occupation forces conducting widespread home invasions with no regard for Palestinian human rights.
The apparently state-sanctioned invasion of Al Aqsa is a clear attempt to provoke yet more conflict in the city, especially as it uses religion as an excuse for its atrocities.
Attempts to intensify religious tension in the city can only further the suffering of Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, with shockwaves likely to be felt across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Last year, clashes at Al Aqsa cascaded into a conflict that led to at least 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, being killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
AOHR UK condemns the violent provocation by the occupation forces and settlers in Al Aqsa. It is an act designed to humiliate Palestinians, who will then be harassed, imprisoned, injured and killed if they dare to respond.
And, yet again, the silence of the international community is deafening. Should violence once again increase and spill over across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, there is little doubt that the focus will once more be on “unprovoked” violence from Palestinians.
AOHR UK demands that world leaders clamp down on Israel’s brutal actions and ensure the right to worship for Muslims attending Al Aqsa.
