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23-05-2021
JERUSALEM/ MADRID Dozens of Jewish settlers, flanked by heavily armed Israeli Special Forces, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem in the early morning, hours after Palestinian worshippers were beaten and assaulted by Israeli police, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site.
Citing witnesses, Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli police had earlier on Sunday assaulted Palestinian worshippers who were performing dawn prayers at the mosque and “excessively beat” them in order to make way for Israeli Jewish settlers to storm the compound – Islam’s third-holiest site.
WAFA added that at least six Palestinians had been arrested, including Fadi Alyan, a guard at the Al-Aqsa Mosque who tried to film the incident, and Ali Wazouz, an employee of the Islamic Waqf Council, the religious body appointed by Jordan to oversee the Al-Aqsa compound.
Meanwhile, pro-Palestine solidarity marches are being held around the world in a continuation of week-long demonstrations in which protesters demanded that their governments impose sanctions and a military embargo to cut the supply of weapons to Israel.
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through London and other British cities on Saturday to protest Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Some were draped in Palestinian flags and set off green and red smoke flares. Others carried banners declaring “Free Palestine”, “Stop bombing Gaza” and “Sanctions on Israel”.
Solidarity protests were also held in the United States, Spain, Italy, Iran, Somalia, Australia, France, and Germany, among others.
Israel’s 11-day bombardment of Gaza killed nearly 250 Palestinians, including at least 66 children, leaving behind many destroyed buildings, homes and infrastructure in the besieged enclave.
The fighting came to an end after the Israeli government and Palestinian fighter groups agreed on a ceasefire that started on Friday. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
