MP Mustafa al-Barghouthi, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative movement, performed the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in addition to more than 250 thousand worshipers from all over Palestine.

“The participation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian worshipers is an affirmation of the Palestinian people’s commitment to Jerusalem, which is to respond to the intrusions of the aggressor settlers, especially on the 50th anniversary of the brutal Israeli occupation,” Barghouthi said.

Barghuti saluted thousands of young people who had broken through the barriers and climbed the walls to reach Al-Aqsa mosque despite the ban. He said that “authorities are trying to prevent most Palestinians from reaching al-Aqsa, especially from the youth and residents of the Gaza Strip.” indicating that more than 80 percent of young people are under the age of forty and prevented under the occupation decisions of prayer at Al-Aqsa.

Dr. Barghouthi met with the medical teams, the ambulance and scouts teams and the civil defense staff working in Al Aqsa Mosque and thanked them for their work. He also inspected the work of the medical teams and their volunteers at Al-Aqsa and at the checkpoints leading to Jerusalem and praised the role it plays in providing humanitarian assistance to the worshipers.