JERUSALEM, October 8, 2017 (WAFA) – About 300 Israeli settlers escorted by policemen broke into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday morning.

WAFA correspondent said about 300 extremist settlers broke into the yards of al-Aqsa Mosque and performed rituals, while Israeli police, stationed at the gates of the compound, imposed strict restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers to the holy site.

There were no reports of clashes between the settlers and Muslim worshipers at the holy compound, as is usually the case when settlers break into the site.

In October 2015, tension ran high across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, against the backdrop of Israel’s repeated assaults on the Mosque, including attempts to enforce a unilateral temporal division of the Islamic holy site between Muslims and Jews.

Prior to that, the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor warned in a report that “Israeli incitement against Muslims could trigger a conflict that would likely result in disastrous consequences.”

“Among the provocative acts documented by Euro-Med researchers against Palestinians in Jerusalem were performance of Talmudic prayers near Muslim worshippers, beating, throwing rubbish, cursing, death threats and preventing worshippers from reaching the mosque,” the report said.

M.N