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AMMAN — The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs has reported a sharp escalation in Israeli violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites during June, targeting especially the Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
In its monthly report issued Thursday, the ministry said Israeli forces and settlers have carried out over 25 raids on the Al Aqsa Mosque Compound/Al Haram Al Sharif throughout the month.
The incursions, the ministry said, included the performance of Talmudic rituals, restrictions on access for Muslim worshippers, and the imposition of limitations on the number of people allowed praying inside. “The mosque was also closed 11 times under the pretext of “security concerns.”
The ministry said that Israeli soldiers and settlers stormed the Dome of the Rock courtyard during Eid Al Adha, performing rituals that included singing, dancing, and clapping.
In Hebron, the ministry said that the Israeli occupation authorities banned the call to prayer at the Al Ibrahimi Mosque 89 times in June and closed the site to worshippers and visitors for 12 consecutive days.
It also said that Israeli forces installed alarm systems in the mosque's corridors, stationed soldiers on its roof, illuminated its walls with Israeli flags, sealed its eastern gate, and forcibly lit the surrounding area.
The ministry also documented the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to Christian worshippers for 11 consecutive days, and a raid on the historic Great Salahi Mosquein Nablus, during which Israeli forces reportedly searched all rooms and rooftops.
The Ministry of Endowments called on the international community, along with human rights and religious organisations, to take urgent action to halt these violations, which it says threaten the status quo and undermine freedom of worship at sacred sites.
