OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)- Tensions ran high in occupied Jerusalem after a group of Jewish extremists raided the Aqsa Mosque Tuesday morning.
Head of the Aqsa Mosque’s manuscripts department Najeh Bukirat said in a press statement that three groups including dozens of Jewish extremists raided the Aqsa Mosque from the Maghareba Gate under heavy protection by Israeli police.
“The extremists are now roaming the mosque’s courtyards to mark the anniversary of what they call ‘the destruction of the temple’, in preparation for a bigger gathering tomorrow to mark this anniversary in practice of their religious ceremonies,” Bukirat said.
He noted that Israeli authorities have since morning closed Aqsa’s doors and allowed entry to only Jewish extremists, pointing out that a state of tension prevails outside the walls of the mosque.
He added that some Jerusalemites have been assembling, but there have been no confrontations up until now.
In similar developments, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine condemned Israel’s decision to seize properties of missing Jerusalemites, stressing that it is a racist move aimed at Judaizing the city and tightening control over it.
The Jihad movement said in a press statement that Israel’s decision “aims at tightening full control over occupied Jerusalem though confiscation of large tracts of land, real estate, and old buildings in favor of new settlement projects.”
The Israeli government announced its commitment to the so-called “absentee property law”, which allows for Israeli authorities to seize properties left by Palestinian owners who fled the country during the 1948 war.