Israeli security forces aim tear gas at Palestinians at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in the Old City of Jerusalem on June 2, 2019. AFP / Ahmad GHARABLI
Occupied Jerusalem: A number of Palestinian Muslim worshippers were injured Sunday by Israeli police officers who were escorting dozens of Jewish settlers performing a provocative tour of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
Some 400 Jewish settlers entered the flashpoint compound, one of Islam's holiest places, on Sunday early morning before the police officers scuffled with worshippers who chanted "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest) to express their anger at the entry of settlers, said (WAFA) news agency.
Israeli police physically attacked many of the worshippers, arrested some and chased others through the compound and went as far as the entrance to the southern ceiled building, where the worshippers barricaded, before attacking them with teargas and stun grenades.
Israeli police rarely allow Jewish prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan when tens of thousands of Muslims converge on the holy site for worship.
Yesterday, Jewish organizations called upon fans to organize provocative visits to the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in the city to mark what Israelis claim as the reunification of Jerusalem.
