Israelis enter Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

 Ma'anNews :  JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Jewish worshipers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Wednesday accompanied by Israeli forces, the Al-Aqsa Mosque Foundation said.

Security guards at the compound prevented the Israelis from completing their religious rites after a heated argument, the foundation said in a statement.

Sheikh Azzam al-Khateeb, director of the Islamic endowment office in Jerusalem, arrived and ordered the immediate evacuation of the Israelis, the foundation added.

The Al-Aqsa compound, containing the mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is the third holiest site in Islam and abuts the site where Jews believe the ancient Second Temple stood. Some in the far right in Israel propose building a Jewish temple on the sanctuary.

The flashpoint site is under the custody of the Islamic endowment authorities, and visits by Israeli extremists have been roundly condemned by Palestinian officials.