Settlers storm Al-Aqsa courtyards

ALBAWABA - Dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

The "extremist" settlers accessed the mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine, from Al-Magharbeh Gate on Wednesday, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The settlers were heavily-guarded by Israeli occupation forces, called the Israeli Defense forces (IDF). The group toured the site in a move described as suspicious, and performed Talmudic rituals in Al-Aqsa's courtyard.

IDF deployed its members and special units in the courtyard and at Al-Aqsa's gates to secure the settlers' incursion into the disputed compound, which also houses the Dome of the Rock.

The compound, a flashpoint between Palestinians and Israelis, overlooks the Western Wall, a sacred prayer site for Jews, who believe biblical King Solomon built the first temple there 3,000 years ago.

Muslim worshipers at Al-Aqsa confronted the settlers, shouting the Muslim battle cry of "Allahu Akbar," or God is Great.

Witnesses say that settlers violate the sanctity of the Muslim shrine in Old Jerusalem almost daily, by forcing their way into the compound to perform prayers. Arabs see the Israeli moves as provocations to Muslims and an attempt to ascertain Jewish claims to the site.