Three extremist ministers from the Israeli occupation government led the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by about 1,700 settlers, on the third day of what is called the “Feast of Tabernacles”.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar participated in the “priestly blessing” ritual at the Western Wall in Jerusalem amid crowds of settlers.
The number of settlers who stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque from Monday morning until the afternoon hours rose to 1,731 settlers.
After leading the settlers’ prayers in the eastern courtyard, the extremist Minister of Security, Ben-Gvir, danced and sang with the settlers, as they chanted together, “The Temple will be built and the city of Zion will be filled,” in the western courtyard of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, adjacent to the Dome of the Rock, in his twenty-first incursion into Al-Aqsa since taking office in January 2023.
The Jerusalem Governorate stated that Katz and Ben-Gvir led the settlers' storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under heavy security protection from the occupation police.
The governorate explained in a statement that the occupation forces closed the Wadi al-Rababa intersection in the town of Silwan since the morning hours, coinciding with the students heading to their schools, which caused traffic jams in the surrounding streets. They also closed Bab al-Asbat Street towards Bab al-Rahma Cemetery and Bab al-Maghariba, amid expectations that the closures will extend to other roads leading to the Western Wall, with the aim of securing the movement of settlers participating in the collective religious rituals.
The governorate stressed that these measures are not merely temporary security arrangements, but rather constitute collective punishment of Jerusalemites and a systematic restriction of their movement, and the exploitation of the city, its facilities and streets to serve the rituals of the settlers, while the residents of Jerusalem are forced to bear the burdens of closures, congestion and disruption of their interests and freedom of movement.
Al-Aqsa guards and worshippers reported that settlers brought in what are called the “four types” of plants associated with the rituals of the “Feast of Tabernacles” into the mosque, while one of them left them inside the mosque to enable other settlers to use them later during their prayers and rituals. The governorate considers this a dangerous development in the nature of the incursions and a clear attempt to introduce the rituals of Jewish holidays into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Settlers also performed the “Mossaf” prayer in its special form on the so-called “Temple Mount,” which includes contents related to holiday sacrifices, in imitation of ancient Jewish worship rituals. The governorate sees this as an attempt to impose a new religious vision on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and change its nature, function and status, and an attack on the historical and legal status existing in the mosque.
The incursions went beyond performing prayers, as the mosque courtyards witnessed singing, dancing, and the performance of collective celebratory acts by settlers during their incursions, in a provocative behavior that violates the sanctity of the mosque and the feelings of Muslims, and confirms that the incursions are increasingly turning into a space for holding public religious rituals inside the mosque.
The settlers' incursion comes for the third day in a row, under the pretext of celebrating the "Jewish holiday of Sukkot".
A video posted by settlers on social media showed dozens of settlers storming Al-Aqsa Mosque, performing Talmudic rituals, prayers, and singing.
These rituals were concentrated on the eastern side of the mosque.
On Sunday, the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem and Palestinian media reported that Ben Gvir and 1,500 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli police, while restrictions were imposed on the entry of Palestinian worshippers.
The raid was met with widespread condemnation, with Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh describing it as “playing with fire and a serious provocation of the feelings of Muslims around the world,” warning of a “religious war” that Israel is trying to ignite in the region.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque has witnessed an escalation in settler incursions since the beginning of the Jewish holidays, amid heavy protection from Israeli forces and military measures in Jerusalem.
The Jewish holidays began with the Hebrew New Year on September 12 and 13, followed by Yom Kippur on September 21 and 22, and continue with Sukkot betweenSeptember 26 and October 2, culminating in the completion of the Torah on October 3.
Palestinians assert that Israel has been intensifying its attacks for decades to Judaize East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity.
The Palestinians insist on East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for state, based on resolutions of international legitimacy, which do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.
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