Jordan condemns breaking into al-Aqsa mosque by israeli settlers

Jordan on Sunday condemned breaking into al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers, calling on the Arabs and Muslims to intervene to halt such violations, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

"Jewish settlers, a Knesset member and several radical Israelis and police members stormed into al-Aqsa Mosque and stepped on the carpet inside the mosque while wearing their shoes and chased worshipers inside the mosque," Jordan`s Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Salam Abbadi said Sunday.

"We condemn these practices that represent a stark violation," said the minister.

The minister warned against the consequences of allowing armed Jewish settlers to repeatedly break into al Aqsa Mosque, adding that it is considered a "declared war" against one of the holiest places for Muslims.

The Jordanian official urged the international community to intervene in this regard.

On Sunday, several Palestinian worshipers were injured and three were arrested during clashes that erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police and border guards in al-Haram al- Sharif compound in the Old City of Jerusalem after Israeli settlers attempted to storm it, the Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported.

Palestinians gathered in the compound since dawn following calls by extremist settlers to storm al-Aqsa Mosque and perform Jewish rituals in it.

Several worshipers and three Israeli soldiers were reportedly injured in scuffles; whereas three Palestinians were arrested under the pretext of throwing stones at right wing extremist Israelis and preventing them from entering the mosque, WAFA reported. 

Jordan`s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said Sunday that the Israeli settlers` breaking into al-Aqsa Mosque was provocative to the feelings of Muslims, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

"Jordan rejects such systematic and dangerous attempts by a group of radical Israelis that are accompanied by political figures and Knesset members who prepare for storming the mosque publicly citing pretexts that contradict with historic facts and the Arab and Islamic heritage of the mosque," Judeh was quoted as saying.

Source: ANTARA