On August 21 of each year the painful anniversary of the Aqsa Mosque arson attack is remembered by the Muslims around the world although it remains a big dark spot in the nation’s history that can only be erased when they move one day to liberate Jerusalem.
Although this crime which is considered a critical juncture in the history of the Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause happened a long time ago the Zionist idea of seizing the Islamic holy site is strongly present until today.
The Mosque’s fire damage
The fire whose causes were not known immediately caused considerable widespread damage to the southern section of the grey-domed Mosque known locally as the Qibli Mosque.
The fire had swept through some of the oldest parts of the Mosque devouring an area of around 1500 square meters and destroying the 900-year-old wood and ivory pulpit gifted by Muslim leader Salahuddin al-Ayyubi in addition to mosaic panels on the walls and ceilings; many areas within the Mosque were also blackened and charred.
Israeli claims
At first Israeli police and municipal officials claimed the fire resulted from an electrical short circuit but the Jerusalem electricity company conducted a technical investigation into the incident and announced there was no fault in the network or connection between the fire and electricity.
At the time Sheikh Hilmi al-Muhtaseb the then head of the Higher Islamic Commission in Jerusalem told a news conference that the fire was deliberate and not normal affirming the Israeli authorities cut off water supply to the Aqsa Mosque compound immediately after the fire started.
Sheikh Muhtaseb also accused the Israeli authorities of delaying the arrival of fire trucks to extinguish the flames.
He asserted that crews from the Palestinian fire departments in Ramallah and al-Khalil rushed to the holy site and tackled the blaze despite an Israeli attempt to obstruct their entry to Jerusalem and the scene.
All the Muslim eyewitnesses who took part in the efforts to put out the fire also confirmed that piped water was not available at the Mosque or in nearby areas around it when the incident happened. They had to use primitive means to get water from wells in the Mosque’s main courtyard.
It is also noteworthy that the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem was and is still the authority controlling the distribution of water.
Consequently heated protests took place then throughout the holy city and all areas of Jerusalem went on strike a move that also happened in the West Bank and even in Israel.
The Israeli security authorities in turn reacted to the events closed all access points to the Aqsa Mosque compound and prevented the holding of Friday prayer there for the first time.
A suspect was soon identified by the police as 28-year-old Dennis Michael Rohan an Australian Christian tourist who was arrested two days later on August 23. Rohan was unafraid of revealing his motives for the crime claiming to be “the Lord’s emissary.”
He told interrogators that he wanted to hasten the second coming of Jesus Christ which in his view could only be achieved by allowing the Jews to build the temple of Solomon in place of the Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli attempts to control the holy site
This year 2017 the anniversary of this event has come just weeks after the Mosque was once again exposed to Israeli threats and its Islamic sanctity was violated.
Following a deadly shootout on July14 the Israeli police found it a chance to close the Mosque for the first time since the 1969 arson attack and had installed metal detectors and security cameras in the compound. This led to widespread protests as Israel was accused of violating the status quo by imposing such unnecessary security measures. Palestinian worshippers rallied in large numbers outside the Mosque’s gates in protest and clashes with the police over two weeks left six dead and many others injured.
After about 11 days of popular anger and protests Israel yielded and ended its offensive measures. Palestinians entered the Mosque again and celebrated their efforts to have the site reopened but such an incident serves as a reminder of how Israel’s aggressive practices against the Aqsa have never ended.
To date this Islamic holy site is still threatened with Israel’s underground tunnels which has weakened its foundations as well as its attempts to control the site and divide it between Muslims and Jews.
Israel persistently violates the most basic rights of the Palestinians including their right to worship without restrictions at their Islamic holy sites.
