53 Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa mosque

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (ST)_ Around 53 Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa from the Mughrabi Gate and carried out provocative tours in its yards, with heavy security from the occupation forces.

Israeli settlers carry out provocative incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque daily, under the protection of the occupation forces, in an attempt to impose a fait accompli regarding judaizing the Temple Mount and controlling it.

Moreover, Israeli military bulldozers uprooted 22 olive trees in Ras Karkar village, west of Ramallah city, according to local sources.

Nu‘man Nofal, a farmer from the village, told WAFA that Israeli occupation forces uprooted trees from his 50-donum land located in Ras Abu Zeitoun area, northeast of the village, to make room for the construction of a settler-only road.

There are almost 834,000 Israeli settlers living in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The number of settlers has almost tripled since the Oslo Accords of 1993, when settlers’ number estimated 252,000. Illegal colonial settlements have leapt from 144 to 515 in that time.

Compiled by: Basma Qaddour