Israeli forces storm J'lem's Aqsa
Dozens of Israeli settlers forced their way into East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday, according to a Palestinian official.
“As much as 190 Jewish settlers stormed the holy compound through the Al-Mugharbah gate,” Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordan-run organization responsible for overseeing the city's Islamic sites, said in a statement.
He said the settlers were joined by at least 20 Israeli policemen during the tour.
Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished the home of a Palestinian youth, who allegedly killed a settler in a stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank last month. In a statement, the Israeli army said the home of Muhammad Tarek Ibrahim Dar Yusuf was brought down in Kubar village north of Ramallah city. Tarek was shot and killed by Israeli forces during the alleged stabbing attack last month. Settlers vandalize Palestinian vehicles near RamallahIsraeli forces often raze the homes of Palestinians involved in attacks as a punitive measure for launching attacks against Israeli targets. According to Palestinian estimates, around 45 homes of alleged Palestinian attackers have been demolished by Israeli forces since 2017.Meanwhile, Israeli army forces rounded up eight Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the West Bank.Arab MKs seek to take Jewish ‘nation-state’ law to UNThe individuals were detained for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement without elaborating on the nature of the activities.They have since been remanded into custody for further investigation, according to the same statement.According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli prisons, including scores of women, roughly 350 minors, and at least six members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.Israeli army arrests 8 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Israel razes home of Palestinian youth
Tension has mounted in the Palestinian territories -- including occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa is located -- since U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.
Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the flashpoint city as Israel's capital.