JERUSALEM, July 8, 2018 (WAFA) – Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Uri Ariel, headed a group of extremist Israeli settlers in a provocative tour on Sunday to al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.
Ariel hence became the first Israeli politician to visit the holy Islamic compound since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eased restrictions on such visits earlier this month.
Similar tours by Israeli ministers and lawmakers in the past led to tensions and sometimes clashes with Muslim worshipers and the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf personnel in charge of running the compound.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in the heart of Old Jerusalem, is the third holiest place for Muslims in the world.
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