After raids by Israeli police overnight on Palestinian Muslim worshipers who were in the Al-Aqsa Mosque following nocturnal tarawih prayers, the city of Jerusalem is still tense.
In order to ease tensions after Israel’s government came under fire for the actions of its forces, international efforts are being undertaken to mediate between Palestinian organizations and the Israeli government.
The raids went on into the morning, with images circulating of Israeli soldiers dragging and beating worshippers to get them out of the mosque, shortly before the compound, known as al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims, was opened for non-Muslim visitors.
Al-Haram al-Sharif hosts Islam’s third-holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, which is believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jews call the compound Temple Mount and believe the Biblical Jewish temples once stood there. Although mainstream Judaism forbids prayer on the site, the compound has been a source of tensions for decades.
