Top Israeli official admits police overreacted in beating Palestinians inside al-Aqsa

A senior Israeli official tells Channel 12 that footage of police brutally beating apprehended Palestinian worshipers inside Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque earlier this week caused significant damage to Israel.

The official says police had no choice but to enter the mosque, after receiving intelligence that several hundred Palestinians had stockpiled weapons inside to use against Israeli civilians and security forces.

However, the official acknowledges that police went too far in beating the Palestinians to the degree that they did, and says that it legitimized claims that al-Aqsa is in danger, galvanized Israel’s adversaries and caused significant PR harm to Israel on the global stage.

The senior official tells Channel 12 that the conduct of officers needs to be reviewed since they had been told beforehand to act with restraint.

Meanwhile, another security official tells the network that the Jordan-backed Islamic Waqf that administers the Temple Mount/al-Aqsa compound is not doing enough to clamp down on Palestinian rioters.

הפלסטינים מדווחים – שוטרים עם אלות מכים מתפללים ללא אבחנה באלות ובנשק, אחרי שנכנסו למסגד. pic.twitter.com/QZooMwaXsk

— Deiaa haj yahia-ضياء حاج يحيى (@DeiaaHaj) April 4, 2023