Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, arresting worshippers in a violent raid at dawn on Wednesday. Witnesses reported that the police used excessive force, firing stun grenades and tear gas, causing suffocation injuries to the worshippers. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported injuries but did not elaborate on how many people were hurt. The raid has been condemned by Palestinians, with President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesperson warning against crossing red lines at holy sites that could lead to a big explosion. The tension is high as important religious festivals – the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover – converge.
Al-Aqsa Mosque: A Sacred Site in the Middle of Conflict Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest shrine in Islam and the most sacred site in Judaism, where it is referred to as the Temple Mount. Confrontations at the site have sparked deadly cross-border wars between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in the past. Palestinian groups have condemned the latest attack on worshippers, which they describe as a crime. The raid has been labeled as an unprecedented crime by Hamas, who have called on Palestinians in the West Bank to defend the mosque. The situation is already tense in occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank, and there are fears of further violence as important religious festivals converge.
Palestinians Fear Encroachment by Jewish Groups at Al-Aqsa Mosque Palestinians see Al-Aqsa as one of the few national symbols over which they retain some element of control. They are, however, fearful of a slow encroachment by Jewish groups akin to what has happened at the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron, where half of the mosque was turned into a synagogue after 1967. Palestinians are also worried about far-right Israeli movements that want to demolish the Islamic structures in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and build a Jewish temple in their place. The current situation has escalated tensions, and there are concerns about further violence.
Source: Aljazeera
