28 feb 2014
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Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in Jerusalem on Friday as clashes broke out throughout the city following the imposition of new restrictions on Palestinian worshipers at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Two people were beaten and detained by undercover Israeli forces in the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood, while a man described as an "Israeli settler" opened fire at Palestinians from his car. The man reportedly fled the scene without being apprehended by Israeli security forces nearby. |
Israelis from Jewish settlements on the Mount of Olives near Ras al-Amoud threw stones at Palestinians and their cars as they passed on Friday as well.
Near the Old City's Damascus Gate, meanwhile, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian identified as Mohammad al-Rashq after they dispersed local youths and inspected their IDs.
In the area between Cotton Merchant's Gate and the Council Gate of the Al-Aqsa compound Israeli forces scuffled with youths, beating them with batons and spraying pepper spray. They detained one youth during the clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that three had been arrested in Ras al-Amoud after "rioted" after noon prayers. He added that two "petrol bombs" were also thrown at Israeli police units near Issawiya, but could not confirm any other incidents.
Near the Old City's Damascus Gate, meanwhile, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian identified as Mohammad al-Rashq after they dispersed local youths and inspected their IDs.
In the area between Cotton Merchant's Gate and the Council Gate of the Al-Aqsa compound Israeli forces scuffled with youths, beating them with batons and spraying pepper spray. They detained one youth during the clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that three had been arrested in Ras al-Amoud after "rioted" after noon prayers. He added that two "petrol bombs" were also thrown at Israeli police units near Issawiya, but could not confirm any other incidents.
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Thousands of worshipers performed Friday noon prayers in front of police checkpoints after Israeli forces imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshipers seeking to access the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The Al-Aqsa Waqf and Heritage Organization said that worshipers who had been unable to enter the area held prayer services in Bab al-Amoud, Wadi al-Joz and the Ras al-Amoud area near al-Aqsa. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers were deployed in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa and dozens of checkpoints were erected while a helicopter hovered over the area, the waqf organization said. Only a few thousand worshipers managed to enter the compound to pray due to Israeli restrictions |
announced on Thursday barring Palestinian men under the age of 50 from entering the Aqsa compound, which is a holy site for Muslims.
Israeli authorities said the restrictions were put in place to prevent "plans for unrest," amid a debate on extending Israeli sovereignty over the compound that has provoked outrage across the region and led the Jordanian premier to call for the review of the country's peace treaty with Israel.
The Al-Aqsa compound is located in East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. According to a 1994 peace agreement between Israel and Jordan, the compound is under Jordanian custodianship.
Jerusalemites perform Friday prayers in streets
Large number of worshipers from Jerusalem and 1948-occupied Palestine performed Friday prayers in the city's streets near Israeli checkpoints after being prevented from having access to al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) had barred men under the age of 50 from attending Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
IOF soldiers deliberately erected temporary checkpoints on streets and roads leading to the old town and al-Aqsa Mosque, forcing the worshipers to perform prayers instead in the streets.
The occupation troops were intensively deployed in the city's streets and roads and at gates of the Old City and al-Aqsa Mosque, where they erected checkpoints in order to prevent worshipers' access to al-Aqsa mosque.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Muhammad Salim, al-Aqsa Mosque's preacher, called on Jerusalemite and Islamic scholars to issue a new Fatwa (edict) prohibiting non-Muslims' access to Al-Aqsa Mosque only under Awqaf' permission.
Sheikh Salim warned of Israeli escalating threats and attacks targeting al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli occupation's attempts to enforce its sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque need an immediate Arab and Islamic intervention to support Jerusalem's Awqaf, which represents the sole party responsible for the holy sites according to international conventions, he stressed.
Israeli authorities said the restrictions were put in place to prevent "plans for unrest," amid a debate on extending Israeli sovereignty over the compound that has provoked outrage across the region and led the Jordanian premier to call for the review of the country's peace treaty with Israel.
The Al-Aqsa compound is located in East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. According to a 1994 peace agreement between Israel and Jordan, the compound is under Jordanian custodianship.
Jerusalemites perform Friday prayers in streets
Large number of worshipers from Jerusalem and 1948-occupied Palestine performed Friday prayers in the city's streets near Israeli checkpoints after being prevented from having access to al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) had barred men under the age of 50 from attending Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
IOF soldiers deliberately erected temporary checkpoints on streets and roads leading to the old town and al-Aqsa Mosque, forcing the worshipers to perform prayers instead in the streets.
The occupation troops were intensively deployed in the city's streets and roads and at gates of the Old City and al-Aqsa Mosque, where they erected checkpoints in order to prevent worshipers' access to al-Aqsa mosque.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Muhammad Salim, al-Aqsa Mosque's preacher, called on Jerusalemite and Islamic scholars to issue a new Fatwa (edict) prohibiting non-Muslims' access to Al-Aqsa Mosque only under Awqaf' permission.
Sheikh Salim warned of Israeli escalating threats and attacks targeting al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli occupation's attempts to enforce its sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque need an immediate Arab and Islamic intervention to support Jerusalem's Awqaf, which represents the sole party responsible for the holy sites according to international conventions, he stressed.
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Amin strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset's attempts to enforce its sovereignty at the Aqsa Mosque in light of the persistent Jewish desecration of the Mosque.
Amin said that Israeli serious escalation against the Aqsa Mosque came as a provocation to Muslims' feelings and a flagrant violation to UN resolutions and international conventions.
In a statements on Thursday, Amin confirmed that Israel's decision to enforce its sovereignty over the Mosque came as part of the Israeli attempts to impose fait accompli at the Mosque as a prelude to Judaizing the whole city of Jerusalem and dividing the Aqsa holy mosque.
He held the occupation fully responsible for its continued break-ins and assaults on Palestinian worshipers, saying that this Israeli policy not only undermines peace process but it also threatens stability in the region.
Amin called on ambassadors of Islamic countries to the UN to hold a meeting to discuss ways to convene an urgent Security Council meeting over Israel's violations in occupied Jerusalem.
OIC Secretary-General called on the international community and UN Security Council to bear their responsibilities and put an end to Israel's violations against places of worships, especially the Aqsa Mosque.
Amin said that Israeli serious escalation against the Aqsa Mosque came as a provocation to Muslims' feelings and a flagrant violation to UN resolutions and international conventions.
In a statements on Thursday, Amin confirmed that Israel's decision to enforce its sovereignty over the Mosque came as part of the Israeli attempts to impose fait accompli at the Mosque as a prelude to Judaizing the whole city of Jerusalem and dividing the Aqsa holy mosque.
He held the occupation fully responsible for its continued break-ins and assaults on Palestinian worshipers, saying that this Israeli policy not only undermines peace process but it also threatens stability in the region.
Amin called on ambassadors of Islamic countries to the UN to hold a meeting to discuss ways to convene an urgent Security Council meeting over Israel's violations in occupied Jerusalem.
OIC Secretary-General called on the international community and UN Security Council to bear their responsibilities and put an end to Israel's violations against places of worships, especially the Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli occupation authority continued to confiscate Palestinian lands and properties aiming to expand settlements and limit Palestinian expansion in their lands.
Palestinian researcher and expert in settlements affairs Ahmad Sob-Laban revealed that Israeli bulldozers have started implementing Overlooking Central Park project in the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives in occupied Jerusalem.
He has confirmed on Thursday that the Israeli settlement project aims at linking Beit Erot settlement with the Gethsemane church in order to connect between settlements in Silwan and Ras al-Amud, and outposts in Sawana.
He pointed out that the settlement project is carried out under the supervision of Israeli Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right Jewish Home party.
Approximately $ 21 million shekels have been allocated for this project in order to promote Israel's tourism sector according to Israeli claims, he said.
He noted that the project aims to accelerate Judaization schemes in occupied Jerusalem.
Palestinian researcher and expert in settlements affairs Ahmad Sob-Laban revealed that Israeli bulldozers have started implementing Overlooking Central Park project in the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives in occupied Jerusalem.
He has confirmed on Thursday that the Israeli settlement project aims at linking Beit Erot settlement with the Gethsemane church in order to connect between settlements in Silwan and Ras al-Amud, and outposts in Sawana.
He pointed out that the settlement project is carried out under the supervision of Israeli Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right Jewish Home party.
Approximately $ 21 million shekels have been allocated for this project in order to promote Israel's tourism sector according to Israeli claims, he said.
He noted that the project aims to accelerate Judaization schemes in occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli police say they will limit access for Muslims to al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) during Friday prayers.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said on Thursday that men under the age of 50 will be barred from Friday prayers.
The al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, AFP cited police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld as saying that the police had entered the compound to disperse Palestinian protesters. Rosenfeld said police had used "means of dispersion" against the protesters.
In recent months, Israeli forces and settlers have stepped up their attacks on the mosque. This has led to violent confrontations between the two sides.
Earlier in the month, Israeli forces stormed the holy site in East al-Quds during Friday prayers. Israeli soldiers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at the people who were praying at the mosque. At least 20 people, including children, were wounded in the violence.
Also on Tuesday, Knesset (the Israeli parliament) discussed a plan to annex the site, but the debate did not result in a vote or any practical measures.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday condemned the debate as a "dangerous escalation," calling it part of Israel's goal to "Judaize Jerusalem".
The Palestinian Authority and the resistance movement Hamas have also warned against Israeli plans to impose “sovereignty” on the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said on Thursday that men under the age of 50 will be barred from Friday prayers.
The al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, AFP cited police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld as saying that the police had entered the compound to disperse Palestinian protesters. Rosenfeld said police had used "means of dispersion" against the protesters.
In recent months, Israeli forces and settlers have stepped up their attacks on the mosque. This has led to violent confrontations between the two sides.
Earlier in the month, Israeli forces stormed the holy site in East al-Quds during Friday prayers. Israeli soldiers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at the people who were praying at the mosque. At least 20 people, including children, were wounded in the violence.
Also on Tuesday, Knesset (the Israeli parliament) discussed a plan to annex the site, but the debate did not result in a vote or any practical measures.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday condemned the debate as a "dangerous escalation," calling it part of Israel's goal to "Judaize Jerusalem".
The Palestinian Authority and the resistance movement Hamas have also warned against Israeli plans to impose “sovereignty” on the al-Aqsa Mosque.
27 feb 2014
Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the first deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, has appreciated the Jordanian parliament resolution demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Amman. Bahar said in a press release on Wednesday that the decision came in harmony with the Arab popular anti-occupation trends, which reject any form of normalization with Israel.
He urged parliaments of countries that have Israeli embassies to follow the Jordanian parliament’s step in its capacity as a supportive position of the Palestinian people and cause.
The Jordanian parliament earlier Wednesday endorsed a proposal by the chairman of Palestine committee MP Yehya Al-Saud and MP Khalil Atiya to expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman and to recall the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv.
He urged parliaments of countries that have Israeli embassies to follow the Jordanian parliament’s step in its capacity as a supportive position of the Palestinian people and cause.
The Jordanian parliament earlier Wednesday endorsed a proposal by the chairman of Palestine committee MP Yehya Al-Saud and MP Khalil Atiya to expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman and to recall the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Hundreds of settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, raided on Thursday the Joseph's tomb east of Nablus, to perform their religious rituals.
Witnesses said that the buses the settlers were riding stormed east of the city and confrontations erupted between the settlers and the Palestinians in that area.
IOF forces fired tear gas canisters and several Palestinians suffered suffocation injuries.
3 Palestinians injured in clashes near Nablus tomb
Three Palestinians were injured early Thursday during clashes with Israeli military forces in Nablus, locals said.
Clashes broke out after a large force of Israeli soldiers entered Nablus to escort hundreds of settlers to Joseph's Tomb.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at local youths, injuring Issa Lutfi al-Hashash, 17, and Abdul-Karim Raed Fattouh, 16.
Both teenagers were taken to hospital for treatment.
Ibrahim Abdul-Raof Shakokani, 27, was hospitalized after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Joseph's Tomb was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.
The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
Witnesses said that the buses the settlers were riding stormed east of the city and confrontations erupted between the settlers and the Palestinians in that area.
IOF forces fired tear gas canisters and several Palestinians suffered suffocation injuries.
3 Palestinians injured in clashes near Nablus tomb
Three Palestinians were injured early Thursday during clashes with Israeli military forces in Nablus, locals said.
Clashes broke out after a large force of Israeli soldiers entered Nablus to escort hundreds of settlers to Joseph's Tomb.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at local youths, injuring Issa Lutfi al-Hashash, 17, and Abdul-Karim Raed Fattouh, 16.
Both teenagers were taken to hospital for treatment.
Ibrahim Abdul-Raof Shakokani, 27, was hospitalized after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Joseph's Tomb was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.
The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
26 feb 2014
The Jordanian MPs voted unanimously Wednesday to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan in protest of Knesset proposal to withdraw Jordanian custodianship and sovereignty over Al-Aqsa. Jordan News Agency (PETRA) reported that the Jordanian Parliament held a session Wednesday to discuss the Israeli Parliament’s debate of extending the Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
The Jordanian MPs voted unanimously in favor of the proposes made by the Committee of Palestine to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan, Daniel Nevo, and recall the Jordanian Ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat.
As part of discussing the revocation of the Jordanian sovereignty over the holy sites in Jerusalem by the Knesset, the Jordanian MPs called for taking immediate measures to prevent Israel from carrying out its scheme.
They stated that extending the Israeli sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque would put the Jordanian Israeli peace treaty at stake, stressing that the Jordanian Government would present a bill to annul the peace treaty with Israel, expel Nevo and recall Obeidat should Israel extend its sovereignity over Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The Jordanian MPs voted unanimously in favor of the proposes made by the Committee of Palestine to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan, Daniel Nevo, and recall the Jordanian Ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat.
As part of discussing the revocation of the Jordanian sovereignty over the holy sites in Jerusalem by the Knesset, the Jordanian MPs called for taking immediate measures to prevent Israel from carrying out its scheme.
They stated that extending the Israeli sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque would put the Jordanian Israeli peace treaty at stake, stressing that the Jordanian Government would present a bill to annul the peace treaty with Israel, expel Nevo and recall Obeidat should Israel extend its sovereignity over Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Jerusalem
With the most extremist Zionist government ever in power, Israel is taking tangible steps to seize and perhaps destroy the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam's principal holy places.
Two important events occurred this week which should alert the world's Muslims to the criminal Zionist designs in Jerusalem:
First, the Israeli Knesset or parliament discussed proposal to impose "Israeli sovereignty" over the Haram el-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary which houses the two main mosques, the Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
The Knesset, as we all know, is dominated by hardline Talmudic fanatics who show no respect whatsoever for other religions, their adherents and holy places. Indeed, some of these racists, such as the followers of the Nazi-like Chabad cult don't ascribe mere humanity to non-Jews in general. In fact, their theology has more in common with Mein Kampf than with the teachings of Moses.
This is not anti-Semitic propaganda as some people, particularly those long-exposed to Zionist hasbara and propaganda, would claim. These are axiomatic facts that honest people, Jews and otherwise, would easily recognize.
The reason I'm alluding to this dimension is because these people are in tight control of Israel today. They control the army, they lead the government and they shape the public discourse in the Jewish state. Their ability and willingness to do the unthinkable can't be underestimated.
Their predominance is very much similar to the emergence of the Nazi movement prior to World War II. The sheer evilness of their ideology and millenarian yearnings would make any comparison with the Nazis quite logical.
Hence, it is extremely imperative to realize that the next few months and years will be so difficult especially with regard to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The second related event is the refusal by the Israeli justice system to consider acts of sabotage and vandalism perpetrated by Jewish terrorists against Palestinians as acts of terror.
Needless to say, this racist refusal spells out the kid-glove approach Israel is adopting toward these terrorists who interpret any leniency by the Israeli state as a green light to commit further acts of terror and vandalism against the Palestinians.
This extreme and sickening flaccidity by the Israeli government toward Jewish terror is likely to lead to heinous acts on a wider scale.
The attacks by Nazi-like Jewish settlers on mosques and Arab community centers on both sides of the Green-Line can only be compared to Kristallnacht.
Yes, the scale is not the same in both cases. However, the acquiescence to Jewish terror shown by the Israeli government and its security agencies can be compared with the German government complicity in what occurred throughout Germany in November, 1938 when synagogues and other Jewish targets were set on fire and vandalized by Nazi gangs.
Some readers might protest the comparisons on the ground that Kristallnacht was an event of huge magnitude.
True, but can anyone guarantee that the settlers and their numerous supporters in the Israeli army and government are not mentally willing to carry out a Kristallnacht toward the Palestinians?
Just listen to what these settlers and their leaders are saying in their meetings and religious sermons. One doesn't have to be extremely smart to read the writing on the wall.
They don't stop urging the Israeli government and army to expel the Palestinians and replicate the Nakba of 1948.
Well, for those who don't know, ethnic cleansing whether you call it "transfer" or "population exchange" is a mere euphemism for genocide or a holocaust.
Besides, we have to remember that the German holocaust didn't really begin with Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen or Treblinka. It started much earlier with relatively innocuous signs, signs that are strikingly similar to what we see in Israel these days.
Weak Arab reactions
Israeli provocations in Jerusalem have so far been met with insignificant Arab reactions. These reactions include a lukewarm statement by a Jordanian official, warning of the "possible negative ramifications" on Israeli measures on the "peace process." Another reaction came from the Sissi regime, which carried out a bloody military coup against the democratically-elected government of Egypt in order to please Israel and its guardian-ally, the United States. And the chronically impotent Arab League was called for a meeting to discuss the Israeli provocations.
I don't really know how the Sissi junta, which murdered thousands of innocent Egyptians at Rabaa and Nahdha, can help the cause of the Aqsa Mosque.
Well, let Sissi and his cohorts first stop murdering and tormenting their own people. That would be the greatest Egyptian contribution to efforts aimed at thwarting Israeli designs against holy places in Palestine.
I am not sure that morally bankrupt Arab leaders can be entrusted to put up a meaningful collective stance to confront Israeli insolence and arrogance of power.
In the final analysis, these despots and tyrants are part of the problem facing the Arab world.
Indeed, had these ignoramuses disappeared from the helm of power in their respective capitals, the overall Arab situation would have been much better.
Otherwise, it is endlessly foolhardy to expect manifestly murderous regimes, such as that of Bashar el-Assad and Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, to help the Palestinian cause. Just ask any Syrian citizen and he or she would tell you they would prefer to be occupied by the Israeli army rather than by the murderous Nusseiri regime which has killed far more Syrians in three years than has Israel killed Arabs since its creation 66 years ago.
Any hope?
While we cannot pin any real hopes on the regimes, we can trust the Muslim masses to make the appropriate and adequate stand that is proportionate to the real dangers facing one of Islam's holiest places.
Muslims, especially in countries that allow peaceful demonstrations, must take to the streets in the hundreds of thousands to protest Jewish encroachment against our holy places.
This is the very least these Muslims should do to communicate an unmistakable message to Jewish fanatics in occupied Palestine.
Inaction is no option, for it invites further and more daring aggressions against Muslim presence in Palestine.
Not even Islamic holy places in Makkah and Madinah would be immune from morbid Jewish whims if Israel was allowed to have her way in Jerusalem.
Indeed, if Muslims failed to respond now, when will they ever do?
With the most extremist Zionist government ever in power, Israel is taking tangible steps to seize and perhaps destroy the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam's principal holy places.
Two important events occurred this week which should alert the world's Muslims to the criminal Zionist designs in Jerusalem:
First, the Israeli Knesset or parliament discussed proposal to impose "Israeli sovereignty" over the Haram el-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary which houses the two main mosques, the Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
The Knesset, as we all know, is dominated by hardline Talmudic fanatics who show no respect whatsoever for other religions, their adherents and holy places. Indeed, some of these racists, such as the followers of the Nazi-like Chabad cult don't ascribe mere humanity to non-Jews in general. In fact, their theology has more in common with Mein Kampf than with the teachings of Moses.
This is not anti-Semitic propaganda as some people, particularly those long-exposed to Zionist hasbara and propaganda, would claim. These are axiomatic facts that honest people, Jews and otherwise, would easily recognize.
The reason I'm alluding to this dimension is because these people are in tight control of Israel today. They control the army, they lead the government and they shape the public discourse in the Jewish state. Their ability and willingness to do the unthinkable can't be underestimated.
Their predominance is very much similar to the emergence of the Nazi movement prior to World War II. The sheer evilness of their ideology and millenarian yearnings would make any comparison with the Nazis quite logical.
Hence, it is extremely imperative to realize that the next few months and years will be so difficult especially with regard to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The second related event is the refusal by the Israeli justice system to consider acts of sabotage and vandalism perpetrated by Jewish terrorists against Palestinians as acts of terror.
Needless to say, this racist refusal spells out the kid-glove approach Israel is adopting toward these terrorists who interpret any leniency by the Israeli state as a green light to commit further acts of terror and vandalism against the Palestinians.
This extreme and sickening flaccidity by the Israeli government toward Jewish terror is likely to lead to heinous acts on a wider scale.
The attacks by Nazi-like Jewish settlers on mosques and Arab community centers on both sides of the Green-Line can only be compared to Kristallnacht.
Yes, the scale is not the same in both cases. However, the acquiescence to Jewish terror shown by the Israeli government and its security agencies can be compared with the German government complicity in what occurred throughout Germany in November, 1938 when synagogues and other Jewish targets were set on fire and vandalized by Nazi gangs.
Some readers might protest the comparisons on the ground that Kristallnacht was an event of huge magnitude.
True, but can anyone guarantee that the settlers and their numerous supporters in the Israeli army and government are not mentally willing to carry out a Kristallnacht toward the Palestinians?
Just listen to what these settlers and their leaders are saying in their meetings and religious sermons. One doesn't have to be extremely smart to read the writing on the wall.
They don't stop urging the Israeli government and army to expel the Palestinians and replicate the Nakba of 1948.
Well, for those who don't know, ethnic cleansing whether you call it "transfer" or "population exchange" is a mere euphemism for genocide or a holocaust.
Besides, we have to remember that the German holocaust didn't really begin with Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen or Treblinka. It started much earlier with relatively innocuous signs, signs that are strikingly similar to what we see in Israel these days.
Weak Arab reactions
Israeli provocations in Jerusalem have so far been met with insignificant Arab reactions. These reactions include a lukewarm statement by a Jordanian official, warning of the "possible negative ramifications" on Israeli measures on the "peace process." Another reaction came from the Sissi regime, which carried out a bloody military coup against the democratically-elected government of Egypt in order to please Israel and its guardian-ally, the United States. And the chronically impotent Arab League was called for a meeting to discuss the Israeli provocations.
I don't really know how the Sissi junta, which murdered thousands of innocent Egyptians at Rabaa and Nahdha, can help the cause of the Aqsa Mosque.
Well, let Sissi and his cohorts first stop murdering and tormenting their own people. That would be the greatest Egyptian contribution to efforts aimed at thwarting Israeli designs against holy places in Palestine.
I am not sure that morally bankrupt Arab leaders can be entrusted to put up a meaningful collective stance to confront Israeli insolence and arrogance of power.
In the final analysis, these despots and tyrants are part of the problem facing the Arab world.
Indeed, had these ignoramuses disappeared from the helm of power in their respective capitals, the overall Arab situation would have been much better.
Otherwise, it is endlessly foolhardy to expect manifestly murderous regimes, such as that of Bashar el-Assad and Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, to help the Palestinian cause. Just ask any Syrian citizen and he or she would tell you they would prefer to be occupied by the Israeli army rather than by the murderous Nusseiri regime which has killed far more Syrians in three years than has Israel killed Arabs since its creation 66 years ago.
Any hope?
While we cannot pin any real hopes on the regimes, we can trust the Muslim masses to make the appropriate and adequate stand that is proportionate to the real dangers facing one of Islam's holiest places.
Muslims, especially in countries that allow peaceful demonstrations, must take to the streets in the hundreds of thousands to protest Jewish encroachment against our holy places.
This is the very least these Muslims should do to communicate an unmistakable message to Jewish fanatics in occupied Palestine.
Inaction is no option, for it invites further and more daring aggressions against Muslim presence in Palestine.
Not even Islamic holy places in Makkah and Madinah would be immune from morbid Jewish whims if Israel was allowed to have her way in Jerusalem.
Indeed, if Muslims failed to respond now, when will they ever do?
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the consequences of its plan to impose Israeli sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque. Barhoum, pointing to the repeated storming of the holy site, considered such plan a continuation of the religious war waged by Israel on the Palestinian people and their holy sites.
He denounced the position of many Arab and Muslim leaders who have given official cover and additional time for the negotiation process between the Palestinian Authority and the occupation.
"Some leaders have besieged and criminalized the Palestinian resistance, and prosecuted the defenders of the Palestinian people and their just cause, while the Oslo team, led by Abu Mazen, has continued to waiver our people's rights", the Hamas official said.
He warned, in a press statement on Tuesday, the Israeli occupation of the consequences of committing a new folly against the Palestinian sanctities, and called on the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied land, the West Bank and Jerusalem to intensify their presence in al-Aqsa Mosque in order to defend it.
He also demanded the Palestinian Authority led by Abbas and his negotiating team to stop the negotiations, to allow freedom of action for the resistance in the West Bank, to halt security coordination with Israel, and to return to the option of resistance to defend the Palestinian people, rights and holy places.
For its part, the Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage reported in a statement on Tuesday that the Knesset discussed in an extended session a proposal introduced by MK Moshe Feiglin to impose Israeli sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque.
It said that the Knesset Speaker decided to postpone the vote on the issue to a later date.
The foundation pointed out that the Knesset Internal Committee will discuss on Wednesday preparations for the occupation forces' incursions into al-Aqsa during the Hebrew Passover, which will take place in a month and a half.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu's government assigned the Elad Association, which is concerned with the settlement activity in the occupied territories and Jerusalem, with the management of historical Islamic places in Jerusalem, Haaretz newspaper said in its Tuesday edition.
The paper pointed out that Elad will control the southern side of the Buraq Wall and other Islamic historical places, and pointed out that it is working on Judaizing the Old City of Jerusalem.
He denounced the position of many Arab and Muslim leaders who have given official cover and additional time for the negotiation process between the Palestinian Authority and the occupation.
"Some leaders have besieged and criminalized the Palestinian resistance, and prosecuted the defenders of the Palestinian people and their just cause, while the Oslo team, led by Abu Mazen, has continued to waiver our people's rights", the Hamas official said.
He warned, in a press statement on Tuesday, the Israeli occupation of the consequences of committing a new folly against the Palestinian sanctities, and called on the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied land, the West Bank and Jerusalem to intensify their presence in al-Aqsa Mosque in order to defend it.
He also demanded the Palestinian Authority led by Abbas and his negotiating team to stop the negotiations, to allow freedom of action for the resistance in the West Bank, to halt security coordination with Israel, and to return to the option of resistance to defend the Palestinian people, rights and holy places.
For its part, the Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage reported in a statement on Tuesday that the Knesset discussed in an extended session a proposal introduced by MK Moshe Feiglin to impose Israeli sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque.
It said that the Knesset Speaker decided to postpone the vote on the issue to a later date.
The foundation pointed out that the Knesset Internal Committee will discuss on Wednesday preparations for the occupation forces' incursions into al-Aqsa during the Hebrew Passover, which will take place in a month and a half.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu's government assigned the Elad Association, which is concerned with the settlement activity in the occupied territories and Jerusalem, with the management of historical Islamic places in Jerusalem, Haaretz newspaper said in its Tuesday edition.
The paper pointed out that Elad will control the southern side of the Buraq Wall and other Islamic historical places, and pointed out that it is working on Judaizing the Old City of Jerusalem.
A majority of Jordanian MPs voted on Wednesday to seek the expulsion of Israel's ambassador to the kingdom after the Knesset debated Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Prominent lower house deputy Khalil Attieh told AFP that 86 out of 150 members of parliament voted to seek the expulsion of Israeli envoy Daniel Nevo.
The vote, which is not legally binding, came a day after 47 MPs, including Attieh, signed a motion demanding that a 1994 peace treaty with Israel be annulled.
"All deputies who attended a meeting today to discuss Israel's debate on sovereignty over Al-Aqsa voted to kick out the Israeli envoy and recall the Jordanian ambassador in Israel (Walid Obeidat)," Attieh said.
"This was in protest at the Knesset (Israeli parliament) debate. It is up to the government to act on the vote. If it does not, we will consider a no-confidence motion."
State-run Petra news agency said the MPs "demanded the government take immediate action to stop Israel's schemes."
Under the peace treaty, Jordan is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
"Israel's actions clearly violate the peace treaty... it is aggression against Jordanian custodianship," Tuesday's motion said.
The Knesset Tuesday evening began a debate called by right-wingers to demand that Israel end its practice of forbidding Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound.
In a motion which was not put to a vote, MP Moshe Feiglin, a hardline member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, said Israel's fear of igniting Muslim rage amounted to discrimination against Jews.
The Jordanian government has so far not commented.
But Jordan's opposition Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, urged the government on Tuesday to freeze the peace deal.
"The custodianship is a Jordanian national interest and a sacred religious duty," said the IAF, the main opposition party.
Israeli police on Tuesday clashed with stone-throwing Palestinian protesters at the compound ahead of the Knesset debate.
The Al-Aqsa compound, which lies in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem's Old City, is a flashpoint because of its significance to both Muslims and Jews.
Sitting above the Western Wall plaza, it houses the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques and is Islam's third-holiest site.
It is also Judaism's holiest place, being the site of the first and second Jewish temples.
Prominent lower house deputy Khalil Attieh told AFP that 86 out of 150 members of parliament voted to seek the expulsion of Israeli envoy Daniel Nevo.
The vote, which is not legally binding, came a day after 47 MPs, including Attieh, signed a motion demanding that a 1994 peace treaty with Israel be annulled.
"All deputies who attended a meeting today to discuss Israel's debate on sovereignty over Al-Aqsa voted to kick out the Israeli envoy and recall the Jordanian ambassador in Israel (Walid Obeidat)," Attieh said.
"This was in protest at the Knesset (Israeli parliament) debate. It is up to the government to act on the vote. If it does not, we will consider a no-confidence motion."
State-run Petra news agency said the MPs "demanded the government take immediate action to stop Israel's schemes."
Under the peace treaty, Jordan is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
"Israel's actions clearly violate the peace treaty... it is aggression against Jordanian custodianship," Tuesday's motion said.
The Knesset Tuesday evening began a debate called by right-wingers to demand that Israel end its practice of forbidding Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound.
In a motion which was not put to a vote, MP Moshe Feiglin, a hardline member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, said Israel's fear of igniting Muslim rage amounted to discrimination against Jews.
The Jordanian government has so far not commented.
But Jordan's opposition Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, urged the government on Tuesday to freeze the peace deal.
"The custodianship is a Jordanian national interest and a sacred religious duty," said the IAF, the main opposition party.
Israeli police on Tuesday clashed with stone-throwing Palestinian protesters at the compound ahead of the Knesset debate.
The Al-Aqsa compound, which lies in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem's Old City, is a flashpoint because of its significance to both Muslims and Jews.
Sitting above the Western Wall plaza, it houses the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques and is Islam's third-holiest site.
It is also Judaism's holiest place, being the site of the first and second Jewish temples.
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A retaining wall on Wednesday collapsed on houses at Bab al-Magharbeh (Mughrabi Gate) in Jerusalem due to Israeli excavations under the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Palestine News Network (PNN) reporter said that the retaining wall belonging to Jawwad Siyam, collapsed on a number of Palestinian houses in Wadi Hilweh in Silwan as a result of Israeli excavations. Witnesses said that the 30 meter high wall collapsed on four houses; three for al-Salaymeh family and the fourth house belongs to al-Ja'bari family, which caused material damages. |
Egypt expressed concern Tuesday about Israeli lawmakers' debate about extending sovereignty on the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy warned in a statement that if Israel allowed Jewish extremists to "lead the political scene" at the site, it would result in an eruption of violence in the region.
The statement urged the Israeli government to fulfill its duty in stopping extremist MKs.
Fahmy added that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, and the Old City and the al-Aqsa are integral parts of it.
Earlier, Israeli troops and police raided the mosque complex and forcefully Palestinian worshipers and protesters ahead of a Knesset debate on the initiative to annex the mosque.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades at Muslim worshipers while protesters hurled stones.
Several worshipers were hurt as a result of the pepper spray and others were hit directly by rubber-coated bullets, witnesses said.
They added that Israeli intelligence agents stormed the Al-Aqsa complex through the Moroccan Gate and the Chain Gate and blockaded the prayer hall, closing its gates with chains.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem students who study inside the complex were denied entry, and three youths trying to access the complex though the Chain Gate were arrested, witnesses said.
Director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Azzam al-Khatib said that Israeli forces also closed the Moroccan Gate and denied Jewish extremists entry to the complex.
He added that Israeli forces later pulled out and were deployed at the main gates.
Around 50 Palestinians had spent the night inside the complex in protest of an Israeli Knesset debate, scheduled for Tuesday, over a plan to place the holy site under full Israeli jurisdiction.
Their protest was also in reaction to reports that Israeli rightist organizations had announced plans to raise Israeli flags inside the Al-Aqsa complex.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy warned in a statement that if Israel allowed Jewish extremists to "lead the political scene" at the site, it would result in an eruption of violence in the region.
The statement urged the Israeli government to fulfill its duty in stopping extremist MKs.
Fahmy added that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, and the Old City and the al-Aqsa are integral parts of it.
Earlier, Israeli troops and police raided the mosque complex and forcefully Palestinian worshipers and protesters ahead of a Knesset debate on the initiative to annex the mosque.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades at Muslim worshipers while protesters hurled stones.
Several worshipers were hurt as a result of the pepper spray and others were hit directly by rubber-coated bullets, witnesses said.
They added that Israeli intelligence agents stormed the Al-Aqsa complex through the Moroccan Gate and the Chain Gate and blockaded the prayer hall, closing its gates with chains.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem students who study inside the complex were denied entry, and three youths trying to access the complex though the Chain Gate were arrested, witnesses said.
Director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Azzam al-Khatib said that Israeli forces also closed the Moroccan Gate and denied Jewish extremists entry to the complex.
He added that Israeli forces later pulled out and were deployed at the main gates.
Around 50 Palestinians had spent the night inside the complex in protest of an Israeli Knesset debate, scheduled for Tuesday, over a plan to place the holy site under full Israeli jurisdiction.
Their protest was also in reaction to reports that Israeli rightist organizations had announced plans to raise Israeli flags inside the Al-Aqsa complex.
Palestine has submitted a request to the Arab League to hold an emergency session Wednesday to discuss recent Israeli attacks on the al-Aqsa mosque, an official said.
Palestinian ambassador to Egypt Barakat al-Farra said that the recent visits of rightists protected by the Israeli army and police to al-Aqsa will lead to more tension and turn the conflict into a religious one.
“If Israel continues this policy,” he said, “it proves that it does not want peace but continues to violate international laws and resolutions.”
Al-Farra concluded that the international community must fulfill its duty to protect holy sites.
Arab League discusses filing UN complaint on Al-Aqsa violations
The Arab League permanent representatives' emergency session discussed on Wednesday the possibility of filing a complaint to the UN Security Council regarding recent Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem.
The discussion comes amid a controversial Israeli Knesset discussion about extending Israeli sovereignty over the compound, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews but as part of the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan is under Jordanian custodianship.
The Arab League council called upon the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to spread awareness regarding the dangers threatening the compound in order to gain support for the complaint.
The council also called upon the EU, major powers, and UNESCO to take responsibility in Jerusalem and to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites from Israeli threats.
The Arab League condemned the continuous Israeli violations of the Al-Aqsa compound, and the recent escalation in incitement to violence and collective raids by Jewish organizations.
Some extremist Jewish organizations have called in the past for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the construction of a Jewish temple there.
The League added that there would be no peace without a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that recent Israeli actions are intended to foil the peace process.
Because of the sensitive nature of the Al-Aqsa compound, Israel maintains a compromise with the Islamic trust that controls it to not allow non-Muslim prayers in the area. Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to the site, leading to tension with Palestinian worshipers.
The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.
It is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
According to mainstream Jewish religious leaders, Jews are forbidden from entering for fear they would profane the "Holy of Holies," or the inner sanctum of the Second Temple.
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Palestinian ambassador to Egypt Barakat al-Farra said that the recent visits of rightists protected by the Israeli army and police to al-Aqsa will lead to more tension and turn the conflict into a religious one.
“If Israel continues this policy,” he said, “it proves that it does not want peace but continues to violate international laws and resolutions.”
Al-Farra concluded that the international community must fulfill its duty to protect holy sites.
Arab League discusses filing UN complaint on Al-Aqsa violations
The Arab League permanent representatives' emergency session discussed on Wednesday the possibility of filing a complaint to the UN Security Council regarding recent Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem.
The discussion comes amid a controversial Israeli Knesset discussion about extending Israeli sovereignty over the compound, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews but as part of the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan is under Jordanian custodianship.
The Arab League council called upon the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to spread awareness regarding the dangers threatening the compound in order to gain support for the complaint.
The council also called upon the EU, major powers, and UNESCO to take responsibility in Jerusalem and to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites from Israeli threats.
The Arab League condemned the continuous Israeli violations of the Al-Aqsa compound, and the recent escalation in incitement to violence and collective raids by Jewish organizations.
Some extremist Jewish organizations have called in the past for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the construction of a Jewish temple there.
The League added that there would be no peace without a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that recent Israeli actions are intended to foil the peace process.
Because of the sensitive nature of the Al-Aqsa compound, Israel maintains a compromise with the Islamic trust that controls it to not allow non-Muslim prayers in the area. Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to the site, leading to tension with Palestinian worshipers.
The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.
It is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
According to mainstream Jewish religious leaders, Jews are forbidden from entering for fear they would profane the "Holy of Holies," or the inner sanctum of the Second Temple.
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
