On Monday night, Zionist settlers pepper-sprayed a Palestinian infant, adding to a number of attacks conducted by Israelis under the protection of the occupation.

Qatar has condemned an Israeli court’s decision to allow settlers to publicly perform the Talmudic rituals in the courtyards of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Qatar’s foreign ministry (MOFA) described the decision as “a blatant provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands the international community to immediately intervene to stop the implementation of the decision of the occupation court, in order to preserve the religious and historical status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” it said.

The Gulf state also renewed its support for Palestinians and “the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital”.

The decision was made by the Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem, which also approved a controversial “flag march” on 29 May, Palestine’s news agency (WAFA) reported on Monday.

Also on Monday night, Zionist settlers pepper-sprayed a Palestinian infant, adding to a number of attacks conducted by Israelis under the protection of the occupation.

Commenting on the latest court decision, the Palestinian presidency called on the US administration, Israel’s main ally, to halt the assaults on Palestinians and their holy sites.

Washington pumps billions of dollars into Tel Aviv, directly funding its ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.

Israeli settlers have conducted a series of attacks on holy sites in Palestine, especially throughout the fasting month of Ramadan. Israeli mobs regularly raid the Dome of the Rock with the protection of occupation forces, preventing Palestinian muslims from prayer at the site.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian foreign ministry said that allowing settlers to use Muslim holy sites is “an explicit declaration of religious war” that threatens the region.

The Israeli court regularly backs the state in its crimes against Palestinians. Most recently, it decided against investigating the unlawful killing of veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

The journalist was shot by a Zionist sniper on 11 May while covering the Israeli raid of Jenin.

Qatar condemned the killing and described it as a “heinous crime” while calling for an investigation into the decision.

Palestine’s foreign ministry has since submitted a letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the ongoing crimes against Palestinians, urging an investigation into the assassination of Abu Akleh.

“As is the case with previous periodic reports, the ministry called on the ICC to adopt this report in order to expedite its investigations and bring criminals and murderers to international justice,” said the ministry in a statement.

According to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS),  Israel has killed more than 46 Palestinian journalists between 2000 and 2020.  In April this year, there were 57 Israeli violations recorded against the press.

This year also witnessed the rise of killings of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor had revealed last month that the total killings witnessed since the start of the year is nearly five times the number reported in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Israel has also continued to carry out mass arrests of Palestinians.

The Palestinian prisoner advocacy group reported on Monday that Israeli occupation forces detained 1228 Palestinians during April, including 165 minors. This was the highest number of arrests since the beginning of the year.

Unlike neighbouring Gulf states, Qatar has staunchly refused to normalise with the apartheid state.