Israeli far-right Knesset member leads settlers in storming al-Aqsa mosque

An Israeli member of parliament accompanied dozens of settlers in storming al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem under the protection of the army on Monday.

Likud Knesset Member Yehuda Glick stormed al-Aqsa in commemoration of his assassination attempt, which happened in October 2014 according to local Palestinian media.

Last month Glick had also stormed the holy site when he and his supporters and escorted by the Israeli police, performed Talmudic rituals at the Dome of the Rock Mosque.

Glick, a far-right US-born rabbi, survived an assassination attempt by a Palestinian gunman on October 29 2014 after leading a campaign for Jewish prayers at the sensitive Muslim holy site.

Earlier this year, he caused controversy when he decided to meet his far-right Austrian counterparts.

He met Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of the Freedom Party in February.

The meeting courted controversy due to Strache being part of the far-right party, which was set up by former Nazi Austrians, with many saying Glick’s move sent a message to Europe that Israel has forgotten the Holocaust.

Custodianship of Haram al-Sharif - or Temple Mount - is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians fearing Israel may one day seek to assert further control over the holy site.

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.