An official from the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the morning hours and after the noon prayer, entering through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque in successive groups, under the protection and escort of Israeli police. He added that the incursions included the performance of prayers and Talmudic rituals within the mosque's courtyards.
Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed settlers to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite repeated rejections and protests from the Islamic Waqf Department.
In a related context, on Wednesday, the Israeli occupation authorities prevented Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh from participating in the midnight mass held at the Church of the Nativity in the city of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank.
The Sheikh’s office said in a statement that the occupation authorities prevented the Sheikh’s convoy from reaching the city, despite Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas assigning him to represent him on this religious occasion.
The celebrations of Christian denominations that follow the Western calendar culminate in the midnight mass on December 24/25 at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a religious and tourist center that attracts pilgrims from around the world. The church derives its sanctity from its location above the grotto where it is believed that the Virgin Mary gave birth to her child.
