Palestinian organizations in Jerusalem will close all the mosques in the city during Eid Al-Adha, in a bid to protect the city’s Al-Aqsa Mosque from planned raids by illegal Jewish settlers.

Eid Al-Adha – an Islamic holiday celebrated every year during Hajj – will take place this weekend, this year coinciding with the Jewish festival of Tisha B’Av.

the high islamic council, waqf council, and fatwa house decided to close all mosques of jerusalem and perform eid prayer at al-aqsa mosque only. as a response to israeli extremists’ calls to break into the holy mosque.#GroupPalestine #قروب_فلسطينيhttps://t.co/1cQ5MfBntp

— pras (@phrazz87) August 9, 2019

Earlier this week, extremist groups which advocate rebuilding the ancient Jewish Temple called for storming Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and conducting Jewish prayers at the site, both to mark Tisha B’Av and disrupt Eid rituals.

Now Palestinians have announced that they will close all mosques across the city, only allowing Eid prayers to take place at Al-Aqsa in a bid to protect the site.

Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque https://t.co/xYtHZYiqHO pic.twitter.com/9gSmsyr9u5

— KhamakarPress (@KhamakarPress) August 7, 2019

This came in a statement signed by prominent Islamic figures in Jerusalem, including the head of the Islamic Supreme Council, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, President of the Council of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites, Sheikh Abdul Azim Salhab, and the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Sheikh Mohammed Hussein.

The statement demanded that all imams announce the policy today during Friday prayers, adding that the people of Jerusalem would stand up against the settlers’ plans to storm the holy site.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of East Jerusalem al-Quds under the protection of security forces.

“Since Thursday morning,… https://t.co/06v6tVmbSn

— Yusuf De Saint Urbai (@YUrbai) August 8, 2019

It also stressed that the step comes in response to an announcement by Israeli Police that it would conduct an “assessment” of the situation at Al-Aqsa in the early hours of Eid to decide whether or not to allow Jews access to the compound.

Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa compound are a regular occurrence, despite the fact that Jews are forbidden from entering or praying at the site under the status quo agreement.

(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)