Inside the Old City, a World Heritage site, lies al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, a 35-acre compound that comprises Islam's third holiest site, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, al-Aqsa mosque.
The compound is also home to the Dome of the Rock, a revered site believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in June 1967, the affairs of the Noble Sanctuary have been run by an Islamic trusteeship, supported by the Jordanian government, known as the Waqf.
Israel still maintains what it believes to be its right to sovereignty over the area after it annexed the eastern part of the city.
In addition to running schools and charities in Jerusalem, the Waqf maintains guards at the entrances to the compound, with the exception of the Mughrabi Gate. This gate (also known as Bab al-Magharbeh or Dung Gate) is connected by a bridge to an open-air plaza that was created when Israel demolished the Mughrabi (Moroccan) Quarter in 1967.
This plaza lies in front of the Western (Wailing) Wall, which Jews believe is the last remnant of the Second Temple, a place of Jewish worship that was destroyed by the Roman rulers of Jerusalem centuries ago. Jewish tradition maintains that a Third Temple will be rebuilt on the Noble Sanctuary, referred to in Judaism as the Temple Mount.
The Noble Sanctuary compound is currently allowed for Muslim prayer alone, but Israeli soldiers regularly escort Jewish Israeli visitors to the site. These incursions are often performed under armed guard, and provoke violent clashes between the Israeli security forces and Palestinians.
The Israeli authorities also regularly impose strict rules on Palestinian access to the Noble Sanctuary, frequently forbidding all men under 40 (at times under 50) years of age from entering.
The al-Aqsa compound is the third-holiest site in Islam. It is located in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1967 - in a move never recognised by the international community - as part of its occupation of the West Bank
Non-Muslim prayer has been banned at the compound for centuries, and attempts by Jews to pray there were few and far between. In the aftermath of the Six-Day War, a status quo evolved wherein Jews were sometimes allowed to enter the compound under the protection of Israeli forces - through the Mughrabi Gate - but not to pray there.
In recent years, however, there have been more attempts by both right-wing and even secular Jewish groups to enter the compound for worshipping, with the support of Israeli politicians and under the protection of soldiers
In 1990, Israeli border police killed 22 Palestinians during a demonstration triggered by an attempt by Jewish extremists to lay the cornerstone for a new temple in the compound
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered police to prevent government ministers and Knesset members from entering al-Aqsa Mosque compound
United Nations resolution 194 of December 1948, calling for the return of refugees, states that "the holy places, religious buildings, and sites in Palestine should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practise".
The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict states that "the high contracting parties further undertake to prohibit, prevent and, if necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against cultural property. They shall refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in the territory of another high contracting party; and, they shall refrain from any act directed by way of reprisals against cultural property".
But Israel violates all these laws.
The al-Aqsa compound is the third-holiest site in Islam. It is located in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1967 - in a move never recognised by the international community - as part of its occupation of the West Bank
Non-Muslim prayer has been banned at the compound for centuries, and attempts by Jews to pray there were few and far between. In the aftermath of the Six-Day War, a status quo evolved wherein Jews were sometimes allowed to enter the compound under the protection of Israeli forces - through the Mughrabi Gate - but not to pray there.
In recent years, however, there have been more attempts by both right-wing and even secular Jewish groups to enter the compound for worshipping, with the support of Israeli politicians and under the protection of soldiers
In 1990, Israeli border police killed 22 Palestinians during a demonstration triggered by an attempt by Jewish extremists to lay the cornerstone for a new temple in the compound
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered police to prevent government ministers and Knesset members from entering al-Aqsa Mosque compound
United Nations resolution 194 of December 1948, calling for the return of refugees, states that "the holy places, religious buildings, and sites in Palestine should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practise".
The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict states that "the high contracting parties further undertake to prohibit, prevent and, if necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against cultural property. They shall refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in the territory of another high contracting party; and, they shall refrain from any act directed by way of reprisals against cultural property".
But Israel violates all these laws.
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