OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
As extremist Jewish groups prepare to begin incursions for the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, which will extend until Wednesday, the 23rd of this month, calls from Jerusalem are increasing for people to head to Al-Aqsa and remain steadfast there to confront the plans of the Israeli occupation government and the Temple groups that seek to Judaize the Islamic holy site and impose a new reality that alters its Islamic identity.
During these Jewish holidays, the extremist Temple groups aim to impose plant sacrifices at Al-Aqsa Mosque as a means to change its identity, and to invade it in large numbers to showcase Israeli dominance over it.
Experts in Jerusalem affairs warn that this year’s season of biblical holidays will be grossly exploited to violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, desecrate it, and attempt to change its identity by imposing a new reality, especially in light of the ongoing aggression against Gaza and the West Bank amid global silence.
A real nightmare
In turn, the specialist in Jerusalem affairs, Fakhri Abu Diab, said that the season of biblical and Jewish holidays is a real nightmare for Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Abu Diab added that the occupation government and extremist settlers exploit these biblical occasions to alter the status quo at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He explained that the occupation’s police also use these seasons to impose facts on the ground regarding Jerusalem in general, such as demolishing homes and changing the demographic character in favor of the settlers, thereby altering the population structure, according to Shehab Agency.
He continued, “The extensive deployment of occupation forces in Jerusalem aims to tighten the noose around Jerusalemites, pushing them away from the Old City and closing its gates, as well as distancing them from the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque to enable extremist settlers to perform Talmudic rituals or large incursions.”
He pointed out that the occupation’s closure around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City during the holidays prevents people from accessing their shops and shopping in the Old City, which suffocates the economy and trade, impoverishing the people and forcing them to seek other means for their livelihoods. This is because the occupation has its eyes on the Old City, which is the first line of defense for Al-Aqsa. Emptying the area means reducing the number of defenders of Al-Aqsa.
Abu Diab said that “the occupation is significantly active, especially during what are referred to as holidays, some of which are biblical holidays called the pilgrimage holidays to the Temple Mount. This is the Hebrew term for the incursions, including what is known as the Feast of Tabernacles, which will begin Wednesday evening, inciting and mobilizing many Jews and settlers for these incursions. The occupation is currently working on spatial division and establishing a foothold for them inside the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
He warned that Israel believes that “these days, coinciding with the aggression against Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, constitute a golden opportunity to pounce on Jerusalem and change whatever can be changed there.”
Religious replacement and the erasure of Al-Aqsa
In this regard, Jerusalem affairs specialist Ziad Ibhais confirmed that the Israeli occupation, under the leadership of the religious Zionism movement, is seeking the demolition of the Aqsa Mosque and the establishment of the alleged “Temple” over its entire area.
Ibhais said that “the occupation adopts a gradual strategy to reach this goal through the principle of division, meaning transforming the identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque from a purely Islamic sacred site to a shared sacred site, paving the way for a complete change of its identity.”
He added that “this division has taken three forms so far: temporal, spatial, and the symbolic establishment of the Temple.”
He explained that the temporal division means utilizing the presence of occupation police in Al-Aqsa to facilitate incursions by extremist settlers, restricting the movement of Palestinian worshippers and defenders, or even preventing them from entering the Mosque.
He pointed out that the occupation began in 2003 by imposing individual incursions by settlers, and in 2006, these incursions were transformed into groups ranging from 15 to 20 individuals per group. In 2008, specific times for incursions were imposed from 7:00 to 10:30 AM and from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, and then efforts were made to gradually increase these times, culminating in the proposal of equal sharing of times and holidays in legislative projects in 2012 and 2013.
He continued that “spatial division followed, targeting the southwestern courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The focus then shifted to the eastern courtyard of Al-Aqsa, around the Bab al-Rahma prayer area, which was thwarted by the Bab al-Rahma uprising in 2019, although the intention to cut off the eastern side of the Mosque remains ongoing and persistent.”
Ibhais continued saying “the final form of partition is the focus of Zionist efforts today, which is the symbolic establishment of the alleged Temple by imposing all the biblical rituals in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and treating it as if it were the Temple, even though all its buildings remain Islamic.”
He added, “This is why we see extremists working to impose their biblical rituals related to each of their holidays, using these religious rituals as tools of colonization and dominance aimed at changing the Mosque’s identity. This is the source of danger that must be confronted with all possible means of resistance.”
IOF increases deployment
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) announced on Wednesday that more troops will be deployed in the West Bank, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which begins this evening and lasts for a week.
The IOF said in a release: “Based on the assessment of the situation, it has been decided to call up several companies of soldiers for defensive missions in the Central Military Command during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.”
In parallel with the ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has expanded its operations, while settlers have intensified their attacks in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. This has resulted in the martyrdom of 756 Palestinians and injuries to approximately 6,250, according to official Palestinian data.
The ongoing US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza over the past year has left more than 141,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured, along with over 10,000 missing persons, amidst massive destruction and famine that has killed dozens of children and the elderly.
