Several hundred Muslim worshipers gathered for morning prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque began to chant nationalistic slogans and to cause disturbances, a police spokesman said on Friday morning. Police responded to the disorder by dispersing those involved. “Police will not allow disturbances to take place or nationalistic calls on the Temple Mount,” they said in a statement. On Thursday, Hamas called for Palestinians to protest against Israeli “violations” at religious sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank by performing Friday prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque at the Cave of the Patriarchs, along with mosques in the West Bank and Gaza. A press release by the terror organization, which runs the Gaza Strip, claimed that Israeli authorities have escalated the situation at al-Aqsa and have tried again to close the Gate of Mercy at the Temple Mount complex – known to Muslims as Haram esh-Sharif. The press release stated that Israel has been “atrociously beating, arresting and threatening” Palestinian worshipers and has banned them from entering the complex. The terrorist group noted that Jews continue to visit the complex and renovations are occurring along the southern wall of the Temple Mount, warning “against the consequences of these serious Israeli steps.” On Thursday, Jewish visitors visited the Mount and “performed Talmudic rituals,” according to the Jordan News Agency. Israeli police entered the Gate of Mercy with shoes on and took pictures of the inside, according to Palestinian media. “This peaceful campaign is a message to the Israeli occupation and a warning that Palestinian holy sites are a red line,” Hamas said. The site, referred to in Hebrew as Har Habayit (Mount of the House) and in Arabic as Haram esh-Sharif, is considered holy by both religions. However, an agreement was reached after Israel conquered the Old City in 1967, allowing Jordan to maintain civil administration over the area and restricting Jewish access to it: Jews and non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Temple Mount during limited hours and days, but they are not allowed to pray there. In recent years, a movement calling for the right of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount has become more vocal and attempts to pray there in spite of the prohibition have been more frequent. Palestinian WAFA news reported earlier this month that Azzam Khatib, director of the Waqf in Jerusalem, announced that 29,610 Jewish “fanatics” stormed al-Aqsa Mosque throughout 2019. “All signs and data indicate an escalation in the frequency of violations against the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings during this year through a series of unprecedented trespasses, which constitute an infringement on the historical and legal status of the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque as an Islamic mosque for Muslims alone under the patronage of King Abdullah II [of Jordan],” said Khatib. According to Yareah, an organization that promotes Jewish visits to the Temple Mount, 30,416 Jews visited the site in 2019, the first time the number topped 30,000. The Jerusalem Post recently revealed Jewish visitors to the site have started praying, undisturbed by police forces. According to Jewish visitors to the site, as of the end of December, police officers continued to allow Jewish prayer on the mount.
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