Gaza: Dozens of Israeli colonists on Friday broke into Bab al-Rahma cemetery, adjacent to the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, and performed Jewish religious rituals and blew the shofar near Muslim graves under the protection of Israeli police.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the rituals were held from the exterior side of the cemetery for the third consecutive week. This occurred on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The Palestinian-run Jerusalem Governorate reported that these events are happening amid increasing demands by groups associated with the so-called Temple Mount movement to conduct religious rituals inside Al-Aqsa Mosque during Jewish holidays.
The governorate noted that when these rituals are blocked from taking place inside the mosque compound, colonists have been conducting them around the compound, at its gates, and near its walls, particularly at Bab al-Rahma cemetery. This practice is described as an attempt to establish new facts on the ground, extend the Judaization of the area surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque, and target the Islamic character of the mosque and the religious and historical sites around it.
The recent rituals followed the entry of 409 Israeli colonists into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday through the Moroccan Gate during morning and evening visiting periods, under Israeli security protection. The governorate mentioned that dozens of colonists performed public group rituals in the Bab al-Rahma area, while Muslim worshippers faced restrictions and were blocked from reaching the area during these incursions.
The Jerusalem Governorate has expressed concerns about exploiting the Jewish holiday season to expand incursions, introduce new religious rituals, increase the presence of colonists, and restrict Muslim worshippers and Islamic Waqf personnel. It also emphasized that such actions threaten the existing historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surrounding area.