Palestinians warn of ‘blatant aggression’ against Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupiers

The Jerusalem Governorate warned Sunday of a “blatant aggression” by Israeli occupiers against Al-Aqsa Mosque amid calls for mass incursions into the flashpoint site in occupied East Jerusalem.

An extremist Israeli group calling itself the “Temple Mount” has called for mass intrusions by occupiers into the mosque on May 15 to mark the so-called “Jerusalem Day.”

“These groups are attempting to impose a new reality within the mosque compound by publicly performing Talmudic rituals and raising Israeli flags, in an effort to alter the status quo and divide the mosque both temporally and spatially,” the governorate said in a statement.

It decried calls for mass intrusions into the mosque as “a blatant act of aggression that is part of plans to Judaize Jerusalem.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Palestinians say Israel has for decades intensified measures aimed at Judaizing occupied East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erasing its Arab and Islamic identity.

Palestinians consider occupied East Jerusalem the capital of their future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.