Ramallah, July 23 (Petra) -- The Palestinian Presidency and the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Religious Affairs on Thursday condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by extremist Israeli settlers.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Knesset member Amit Halevi led thousands of extremist settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation forces. The raid coincided with the occasion of the so-called "destruction" of the alleged Temple.

In a statement, the Palestinian Presidency described the act as a violation of the historical and legal status quo of the holy site. It said the incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the performance of Talmudic rituals in its courtyards represent a dangerous escalation and are part of a systematic policy aimed at imposing new realities on the ground and seeking to divide the mosque temporally and spatially.

It reaffirmed that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, covering its entire 144-dunum area, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The Palestinian Presidency called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take firm measures to compel Israel to halt violations and unilateral actions in Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a separate statement, the Awqaf Ministry described the raid as a serious violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites and the established historical and legal status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It warned that exploiting religious occasions to intensify incursions and conduct rituals inside the compound forms part of attempts to impose a temporal and spatial division of the site.

The ministry renewed its call for Palestinians to maintain their presence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and visit the site to safeguard its Islamic and Arab identity.

//Petra// HA