Khaberni - The Israeli occupation continues to close the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif for the 35th consecutive day and the fifth consecutive week, preventing thousands of worshippers from reaching it to perform Friday prayers, in an unprecedented escalation not seen in occupied Jerusalem since 1967, under the pretext of “emergency state” and the prevailing security conditions.
The occupation forces imposed strict military measures around the Old City of Jerusalem, closed its entrances, deployed their military barricades, and completely prevented citizens from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday prayers, amid an intensive deployment of their soldiers, according to the Palestinian news agency (WAFA).
Jerusalemites reported that the occupation forces prevented citizens from entering the Old City or approaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque; forcing them to perform prayers in the streets and nearby neighborhoods, amid ongoing restrictions.
This continuous closure comes in the context of the tightening policy imposed by the occupation authorities on the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites, in an attempt to impose a new reality at the blessed mosque and achieve full control over it.
In the same context, official and religious bodies have warned of the dangers of continuing the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, considering it a blatant violation of the freedom of worship, and a serious escalation that urgently requires international intervention to stop these measures.
Meanwhile, “Temple groups” allegedly continue to incite raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Hebrew “Passover”, calling for “the sacrifice of sacrificial animals” within it, and demanding its opening during the festival period extending from April 2 to April 9.
