JERUSALEM, December 13, 2016 (WAFA) – Palestinian guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem Tuesday prevented a Jewish fanatic from holding prayer within the walls of the holy compound, according to sources from the Islamic Waqf (endowment) that manages the mosque and other Muslim sites in Jerusalem.

They said the guards noticed the fanatic attempting to hold Jewish prayers and intervened to stop him.

Waqf officials said about 70 fanatics, including archeology students, have entered the compound on Tuesday during the morning visit hours, which Israeli police had recently unilaterally increased by one hour.

They said a rise in defiance of the status quo in the mosque, which bans non-Muslims from holding religious rituals in the solely-Muslim compound, is threatening peace and security in the occupied city.

Jewish fanatics claim al-Haram al-Sharif, or holy sanctuary, compound that includes the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, two of the most holy sites in Islam, was the location of the Jewish temples destroyed thousands of years ago.

They seek to the Muslim sites to build a Jewish temple on their ruins.

M.K.