A group of Jewish extremists attempted to perform a ritual animal sacrifice at the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, but were intercepted by Israeli police before the act could take place. Thirteen individuals involved in the incident have been detained.
The group attempted the ritual on Friday (May 22) to mark the Jewish religious festival of Shavuot. Jews refer to the Al-Aqsa compound as the "Temple Mount," believing it to be the site of their holy temple that was destroyed by the Romans nearly two thousand years ago.
Since that destruction, no animal sacrifices have taken place within the current Al-Aqsa area.
However, various Israeli extremist groups have repeatedly tried to perform religious rituals there over time, though—as with this latest attempt—they have consistently failed.
While Al-Aqsa Mosque is revered as the third holiest site in Islam, non-Muslim prayer is officially banned at the compound.
Nevertheless, accusations have surfaced recently against Itamar Ben-Gvir for attempting to breach this status quo, as he frequently enters the Al-Aqsa compound under heavy security to pray.
Ben-Gvir’s actions have sparked widespread outrage across the Muslim world, putting pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu.
As tensions escalated, Netanyahu publicly declared that Jewish prayer remains prohibited at the Al-Aqsa compound, though in reality, incursions and prayer attempts by extremists continue to occur frequently.
Source: The Times of Israel
