The Al-Aqsa Crisis: Tensions and Violence in Israel

Israeli police stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, claiming some worshippers inside were ‘masked agitators’, resulting in international condemnation and retaliatory rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza and southern Lebanon. Some claim the attacks make it easier for far-right Israeli settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound, some of whom want the mosque torn down. The raids may serve to distract from a crisis of the government’s own making, including huge protests against government plans to weaken the judiciary.