For the first time, the Israeli government will finance the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque by illegal Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, as reported by Israeli media.
According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the office of Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu—an extremist known for his anti-Palestinian stance—will allocate $545,000 for the project, which is expected to be implemented in the coming weeks.
KAN also reported that the Heritage Ministry is in contact with far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s National Security Ministry to obtain Israeli police permission for the settlers’ funded tours to Al Aqsa. Earlier the same day, Ben-Gvir asserted that Jews have the right to pray at Al Aqsa Mosque and announced plans to build a synagogue at the contentious site.
In response, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas warned that Israel’s decision to fund these incursions into the third holiest site in Islam represents a “dangerous escalation” that could provoke a “religious war.”
“This extremist fascist government is playing with fire, as it does not care about the repercussions of its Zionist behavior in violating the sanctity, status, and identity of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque in our Arab and Islamic nation,” Hamas stated.
Hamas has previously cited Israeli violations at the Al Aqsa Mosque as a motive for its attack on Israel on October 7.
