JERUSALEM
Dozens of Jewish settlers on Sunday forced their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, a Palestinian guard of the holy site said.
"A group of Jewish students stormed the complex along with Israeli troops who wandered into the courtyards and verbally attacked the Palestinian religious students within," the guard, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency.
According to the guard, the Israeli police imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers into the compound since the early hours of the day.
In recent months, groups of extremist Jewish settlers – often accompanied by Israeli security forces – have repeatedly forced their way into East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.
Last week, scores of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.
In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli leader Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada" – a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.
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