Syria denounces international silence, raps Israeli settlers’ incursions into al-Aqsa
Syria has condemned in the strongest terms the repeated incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Old City of al-Quds, lambasting the international community’s silence in the face of the crimes committed by the occupying regime, which is supported by certain Western powers.
“Syria denounces the recurrent assaults by Israeli settlers against the al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian worshipers under the protection of occupation forces, and reiterates that such attacks represent a violation of the historical and legal identity of the sacred site,” the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement on Wednesday.
It added, “While deploring the international silence and continued Western protection of Israel and its crimes, Syria reaffirms that the relentless raids against Palestinians constitute a flagrant breach of the international law and humanitarian principles.”
The Syrian foreign ministry also stressed that “the international community must assume its moral responsibilities and pressure Israel into cessation of these practices and attacks, which demonstrate the racist and terrorist nature of the Zionist regime.”
Israeli settlers on Tuesday forced their way into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Eyewitnesses said Israeli police escorted groups of settlers into the holy site through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque.
Israeli forces were deployed in the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque before the raids, while some police officers climbed the roof of the al-Qibli Mosque – the main mosque in the Aqsa plaza.
The Israeli police prevented Palestinians under the age of 50 from entering al-Aqsa Mosque to perform prayers, according to eyewitnesses.
Palestinians performed the morning prayer on the streets leading to the mosque after being prevented from entering the courtyard.
Earlier, the Islamic Endowments Department in al-Quds said that 1,532 settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday.
Last week, Israeli forces conducted consecutive raids at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. On the first night, at least 12 Palestinians were arrested and more than 400 were arrested.
The raids triggered rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon and Syria, which drew Israeli air and artillery raids.
Palestinians accuse Israel of systematically working to Judaize East al-Quds, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, and obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity.
Hardline Israeli officials and settlers regularly storm the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city, a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians. Such mass settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel Aviv-backed temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in al-Quds.
The al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Jewish visitation of al-Aqsa is permitted, but as part of a decades-old agreement between Jordan – the custodian of Islamic and Christian sites in al-Quds – and Israel in the wake of Israel’s occupation of East al-Quds in 1967, non-Muslim worship at the compound is prohibited.
