Israeli settler groups call for slaughtering animal sacrifices inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Extremist Israeli Temple Mount groups, who seek to destroy Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and advocate for the creation of a Third Temple, called on Friday Israeli settlers to break into the holy site during the Jewish Passover holiday and to conduct ritual animal slaughter in the courtyards of the mosque, which risks provoking Palestinians.

The Israeli settler groups associated with the ‘Temple Mount Movement’ have offered a financial reward for anyone who succeeds in sacrificing an animal inside the mosque’s courtyards, or even for those who get arrested for attempting to slaughter their sacrifices inside the courtyards of the mosque.

A settler arrested by Israeli police trying to get into the holy site with a lamb would receive a prize of 1,200 shekels ($330), a settler arrested inside the mosque with a lamb would be awarded 2,500 shekels ($690) and a settler succeeding to offer a lamb or a young goat on the courtyards would get 20,000 shekels ($5,500).

The extremist groups also called their followers to march en masse to al-Aqsa mosque to mark the Jewish Passover, which will start on 5 April and last for a week.

These provocative calls were made while at least 15 rabbis have reportedly sent a letter on Thursday to Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that they be given the green light to slaughter animal sacrifices in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Passover holiday, saying it was for the “national interest” of ‘Israel’ to be allowed to carry out the ritual.

“We want to offer the Passover sacrifice in its rightful place and at its rightful time despite all the difficulties. We ask to open the temple site to allow the messengers of the people of Israel to renew the sacrifice,” they wrote in their letter.

Israeli settlers are set to storm the mosque in large numbers to mark the holiday at a time when Palestinians observing the holy month of Ramadan usually fill the area.

Although the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has long forbidden Jewish worship at the mosque, some religious groups have called for settlers to be allowed to pray on the site.

While Israeli occupation governments have long resisted such calls – fearing a massive backlash from the global Muslim community – a number of figures in the new Israeli government have supported allowing Jewish worship on the site.