An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been called in order to discuss the Israeli forces attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The closed-door meeting of the UNSC has been called on the demand of the United Arab Emirates and China.
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On Wednesday Israeli police clashed with Palestinians at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and viciously assaulted dozens of worshippers.
The raid at Al-Aqsa started around 10 pm local time when heavily armed police officers were first spotted entering the site before firing tear gas and stun grenades into the Qibli prayer hall – the building with the silver dome – where hundreds of men, women, elderly people and children were staying overnight to pray.
The worshippers were forcibly removed from the site where they were peacefully observing the holy month of Ramadan.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said: “Israel’s raid into Al-Aqsa mosque, its assault on worshippers, is a slap to recent U.S. efforts which tried to create calm and stability during the month of Ramadan.”
Less than 24 hours earlier, police raided the mosque to try to remove what they said were masked agitators who locked themselves inside after attempts to remove them by dialogue failed.
Itikaf at Al-Aqsa Mosque is not allowed by Israeli authorities outside of the last ten days of Ramadan, a ban that Palestinians refuse to comply with.
Israeli forces regularly empty the mosque of Palestinians outside the five Muslim prayers, especially overnight and after dawn prayer to ensure a smooth incursion of Israeli settlers which takes place daily around 7:30 am local time.
