Occupied Jerusalem, March 16 (QNA) - The Israeli occupation authorities continue to shut down Al-Aqsa Mosque and ban worshipers from approaching it for the 17th day in a row, using the pretense of the security situation in the region.
What is happening can't be explained as temporary security measures, as the occupation authorities claim, but falls under a political and ideological path that intends to alter the religious, historical, and legal status quo at the Mosque, the Jerusalem Governorate warned in a statement.
The Governorate had previously given a heads-up about the perilous rise of incitement rhetoric spearheaded by what is dubbed extremist Temple groups against Al-Aqsa in the wake of the ongoing closure measures.
For the first time since the occupation of Al-Aqsa in 1967, worshipers have been prohibited from praying Taraweeh and observing Itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan.
This move comes concomitantly with the reinforced Israeli military posture at the perimeter of the Mosque and the gates of the Old City in occupied Jerusalem, where Palestinians are blocked from entering the Mosque's compound amid the constant closure of commercial shops in the Old City markets. (QNA)