"Lag BaOmer" in Jerusalem: Incursions into Al-Aqsa and a large gathering in Sheikh Jarrah
Hundreds of thousands of settlers gathered on Monday and Tuesday in Sheikh Jarrah and at the Al-Buraq Wall in Jerusalem, coinciding with Lag BaOmer. Many stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and carried out public religious rituals.
Reports indicate that 457 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the morning and afternoon incursions, carrying out prayers and rituals such as prostration and dancing within its courtyards.
Meanwhile, from Monday evening to Tuesday evening, hundreds of thousands of settlers flocked to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the Al-Buraq Wall area. During this time, the occupation authorities turned the neighborhood into a heavily secured celebration zone.
In Sheikh Jarrah, police blocked off main streets and intersections, preventing residents from parking or using their vehicles. They set up platforms, speakers, and torches on land that had been seized and turned into a parking lot under the guise of "public interest."
The neighborhood and surrounding areas buzzed with festive energy and joyful celebrations, as prayers and gatherings persisted into the late hours.
Lag BaOmer is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 33rd day after Passover and before Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks). It honors Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, with main festivities happening in Meron area. The holiday is also observed in several other places in Jerusalem, such as Sheikh Jarrah, where people mark the occasion with bonfires, prayers, and religious gatherings.
The reason for celebrating the holiday in Sheikh Jarrah is the influx of settlers who come to pray and perform rituals inside a cave in the neighborhood, which they claim is the "Cave of Shimon the Righteous" and houses his tomb.
