Israeli Occupation Forces Storm Al-Aqsa Compound, Injure 12 Worshippers

{Digging tunnels and demolition- Attack and desecration} by Fahd Bihadi

by Hanan Awarekeh, Al Manar

28/02/2010 Twelve Palestinians suffered tear-gas inhalation injuries as Israeli occupation forces deployed riot dispersal gear, while the injured gathered near Bab Al-Majlis on Sunday, the gate leading into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. One woman, in her forties, was taken to a nearby clinic to undergo treatment.

Clashes between Palestinians living in the Old City and Israeli occupation forces have been reported, with Israeli police reporting the detention of one Palestinian for allegedly pelting an extremist settler trying to enter through the Moroccan Gate. According to reports, four settlers were allowed access to the Al-Aqsa compound with a police escort.

Israeli occupation forces and police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday morning, where dozens of Palestinian worshippers spent the night, fearing a settler take-over during the Jewish holiday of Purim.

More than 200 Israeli occupation soldiers and police were surrounding the mosque, using loudspeakers calling on worshippers to evacuate the site. Palestinians responded by using the minarets in the mosque to urge Palestinians to head to the occupied city.

Al-Aqsa mosque compound is Islam’s third-holiest site, after Mecca and Medina. Muslims refer to it as the Al-Haram Al-Sharif and believe it to be the place where the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) made a night journey to heaven on horseback.

The mufti of occupied Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli police forces’ entry to the mosque compound, which he said was aimed at allowing extremists to enter the area. He warned against the serious implications of the police’s entry.

The Islamic organizations called on Muslims to be on high alert around March 16, when they said extreme Israeli organizations were planning to mark the global day for Al-Aqsa’s reconstruction.

Earlier on Sunday, occupation forces erected checkpoints at all gates leading into the Old City of Jerusalem in the occupied part of the city, preventing entry to all Palestinians under the age of 50.

At the beginning of the week, extremist groups called on sympathizers to gather at the Buraq square, known to Israelis as the Wailing Wall, and march on the Al-Aqsa compound. Palestinians spent the night in the Al-Aqsa compound to prevent their entry, it was reported.

In response, Palestinian national and religious leaders in occupied Jerusalem urged Palestinians to prevent the anticipated take-over by amassing at the mosque to prevent the entry of extremist settlers.

Sunday’s events at Al-Aqsa Mosque come following the tension that arose over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Al-Khalil and the Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem to its so-called “list of national heritage sites”.

Ynet has reported that Israeli President Shimon Peres is unpleased by the latest government’s decision and is concerned by the move’s possible implications.

The decision should not have been taken in the manner it was taken, but rather, in phases, Peres reportedly said in closed-door sessions over the weekend. “It was possible to decide to focus on 10 sites at this time, and take more decisions later,” Peres was quoted as saying.

After Hamas called for a third intifada and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned of a “religious war”, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attended the Friday prayer in Al-Khalil, called on his people to continue their struggle, but stressed that the Palestinians would not let the Israeli decision drag them to a state of violence.

Netanyahu himself has tried to ease the tensions with the Palestinians several times, claiming it was all a misunderstanding. “We have no intention of changing the status quo regarding Jewish or Muslim praying. We want to maintain the current prayer arrangements. The renovations were carried out in coordination with the Waqf. These are necessary repairs,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, activists and members of professional associations, political parties, and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan condemned the Israeli plan and called on Arab leaders to protest against the Israeli action.

According to Jordanian media reports, the protestors burned Israeli flags and carried signs urging the government to annul the peace treaty with Israel “as a first move in defending the holy sites.”

They said that Arab leaders and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) should take “serious” action to counter Israel’s plan to annex the two West Bank holy sites — the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Bilal Mosque, adding that Israel is “targeting the Islamic sacred sites in the West Bank.”

Dr. Ahmed al-Armouti, secretary of the Jordan Medical Association, said that “the response to this crime must not be summed up with a statement and condemnations, but should be translated into support for the armed resistance option, the ‘mujahideen’ (resistance fighters), lifting the siege imposed on the people of Gaza and cancelling all forms of normalization and agreements with Israel.”

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