Far-right Israeli parliamentarian Yehuda Glick protested outside of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday morning to denounce the ban preventing Knesset members from accessing the compound for the past year and a half.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ruled in early July to temporarily lift the ban preventing Israeli MPs from accessing the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for a five-day period in late July.
However, the decision was canceled in the wake of a deadly shooting attack on July 14 that led to a 13-day long civil disobedience campaign in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank to denounce security measures installed at the Al-Aqsa compound, to avoid further fueling the tensions surrounding the holy site.
Yehudah Glick Sets Up Temple Mount Office in Protest of “Absurd” MK Ban [INTERVIEW] – Breaking Israel … https://t.co/xv5OqQvPZx via @binal
— everardonobredamasce (@everardonobreda) August 14, 2017
Glick, who is one of the leading advocates for Jewish visitation to the Al-Aqsa compound, arrived on Monday morning at Al-Aqsa’s Lions’ Gate under heavy police protection, and decided to symbolically work outside of the compound on Monday to denounce the ban.
Prior to being instated in the Knesset, Glick had commonly taken to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound with ultra-nationalist Israelis to perform rituals and prayers at the site, a practice Palestinians say is an attempt to challenge long-standing international agreements regarding the holy site.
Israeli right-winger Yehuda Glick, known as the head of the Temple Mount Faithful group, was escorted – together… https://t.co/kHsGb2RPsG
— Team Palestina (@TeamPalestina) March 1, 2016
Many Palestinians and rights groups fear that right-wing groups calling for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to make way for a third Jewish temple are gaining growing influence in Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
(Maan, PC, Social Media)