Daily Times

Hamas threatened “repercussions” over Jewish visits to Jerusalem’s super-sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in a warning issued Thursday, days before the start of the Jewish high holidays when visitor numbers increase. The mosque compound in the Old City of Israel-annexed east Jerusalem has been the focus of tensions for years, but Palestinians have voiced increasing anger at the rising number of visits by Jews, who revere the compound as their holiest site, the Temple Mount. Mahmud Zahar, a senior member of the Islamist group which rules Gaza, warned “the continuation of the Zionist aggression and their brutality against Jerusalem and the holy shrines will be the cause of a major battle.” Speaking in a rare press conference in Gaza’s Omari mosque, Zahar alluded to Palestinian concerns that a longstanding convention by which Jews may visit but not pray in the compound was being covertly flouted. He said Israel would be held “fully responsible for the repercussions of these violations.” Beyadenu, a group that encourages Jews to visit the Al-Aqsa compound, said it was committed to increasing such visits.