The violations and attacks committed by the so-called Temple Mount Movement against al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem have seen a noticeable and alarming escalation recently.
Many phenomena have taken root in the squares of al-Aqsa Mosque. For example the scene of extremist settlers sitting in the corridors of al-Aqsa Mosque and blocking them or taking over the southern corner of Bab al-Rahma prayer area has become almost daily.
Reciting biblical prayers openly and loudly inside the mosque using cell phones instead of holy books has become among the daily violations and provocative practices carried out by Israeli settlers.
The fait accompli policy the Israeli occupation and its extremist settlers are attempting to impose on al-Aqsa Mosque is now clearer and more threatening than ever.
Sheikh Najeh Bkeirat deputy director of the Muslim Endowments and al-Aqsa Affairs said that the Israeli occupation with its practices inside al-Aqsa Mosque has crossed all red lines.
Bkeirat said in exclusive statements to the PIC that the issue of escalating settler attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy city of Jerusalem can be approached from three angles.
The first he explained is that the Israeli occupation is seeking to change the identity of Jerusalem City especially its Islamic character.
He added that the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (ISESCO) decision to include al-Aqsa Mosque in an exclusive list of Islamic heritage sites was a slap on the face of the Israeli occupation and a response to its attempt to impose a Jewish partnership on the Islamic site.
The second according to Bkeirat is that the Israeli occupation does not want to see Arabs or Muslims in Jerusalem. He pointed out that the regular closures of education offices establishment of settler outposts excavations and break-ins are all aimed at serving that goal.
He described it as a “demographic battle” through which the Israeli occupation seeks to make the number of Jewish settlers in Jerusalem larger than the number of Muslims and Palestinians.
As for the third Bkeirat said that the Israeli occupation wants to send a message to the Israeli public to incite them to storm al-Aqsa Mosque and at the same time send a message to the outside world that the Israelis have sovereignty over Jerusalem.
For his part the Palestinian expert Jamal Amr warned of the Temple Mount Movement’s systematic assaults on al-Aqsa Mosque expecting that what is coming will be worse.
Amr said that the Israeli government used to work for achieving its goals secretly under the cover of extremist right-wing groups but today it is working openly.
He added that the absence of serious actions has encouraged the Israeli occupation to disregard any statements coming from the Palestinian authorities and consider them mere jokes.
Amr stressed that the Palestinians should go for plan “B” and set new strategies to confront the Israeli attacks.
He called for a “large-scale revolution” in the mosques schools and cultural centers of Jerusalem a revolution that would soon extend to include the remaining Palestinian territories then Arab and Muslim countries.
