OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
It is not in vain that Palestinians have made the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque the cornerstone of their battles, confrontations, revolutions, and uprisings. For them, it is the focal point of the struggle against the Zionist occupation and the origin of the narrative that began with the Zionist ambitions in the land of Palestine.
The symbolism of Al-Aqsa Mosque rises even higher with the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan, which has become a symbol of the confrontation between the rightful owner and the symbol of falsehood, between the son of the land and the custodian of its mosques, and the stranger coming from all corners of the earth wanting to desecrate the purity of its mosques.
Thus, whenever Ramadan approaches, one finds the Zionist occupation, through its various security arms, tightening its procedures and closures, intensifying its checkpoints, and increasing the number of its soldiers around Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the Old City and Jerusalem in general, turning the entire city into a military barracks. All this aims to hinder worshippers and defenders from reaching it.
Not content with this, the occupation and its extremist settler groups have turned the month of Ramadan into a season for expanding their desecration and incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially as it coincides with several of their Hebrew holidays, as seen in previous years.
This Zionist arrogance have not succeeded in preventing tens of thousands of worshippers and those in spiritual retreat from reaching and defending Al-Aqsa, performing Taraweeh prayers and the five daily prayers in it, in a significant step to thwart the occupation’s efforts to make it a place devoid of Muslims and to facilitate settlers’ presence and incursions.
Systematic war
One of the prominent defenders at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Montaha Imara, said that the Zionist occupation is waging a systematic war aimed at emptying Al-Aqsa Mosque of its defenders.
Imara explained, in a special interview with the Palestinian Information Center, that defenders, worshippers, and community members live under the constant threat of Israeli occupation forces, which are trying by all means to restrict their movement and prevent them from praying and defending Al-Aqsa.
She noted that the occupation forces impose strict restrictions on women’s entry to the Mosque, especially during Ramadan, revealing that they are subjected to humiliating searches, and at times are prevented from entering without any justification.
She described these violations as not only an infringement of their religious rights but also an attempt to empty Al-Aqsa of its defenders, who are considered the first line of defense for this sacred place.
Imara warned that these measures are part of a larger plan aimed at changing the status quo in Al-Aqsa, saying, “The occupation wants to make our presence in Al-Aqsa impossible, but we will remain here no matter the challenges; Al-Aqsa is our identity, and we will not abandon it.”
The assault on Al-Aqsa
Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of the Al-Aqsa Trustees Board, confirmed that the occupation state has turned Ramadan into an opportunity to assault Al-Aqsa, Judaize it, and convert it into a military barracks.
Abu Diab said, in a special comment to the Palestinian Information Center, that Ramadan is a time for worship and peace, but the occupation forces have turned it into a battleground by imposing unjustified restrictions on the entry of worshippers, especially the youth.
He noted that every day in Ramadan witnesses assaults on worshippers, either through physical aggression or by preventing them from reaching Al-Aqsa.
He clarified that these measures aim to empty the Mosque of worshippers and weaken the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem.
He emphasized that the presence of worshippers foils the occupation’s plans, affirming that despite the checkpoints set up in the West Bank, the threats directed at youth in Jerusalem, and the threats to transport companies in 1949 occupied Palestine not to carry worshippers to the holy site, the results were contrary and opposed to the will of the occupation.
Abu Diab called for frequenting Al-Aqsa, saying, “We must remain present in Al-Aqsa in large numbers, especially during Ramadan; our presence is a clear message to the occupation that we will not abandon our sacred sites.”
He stressed the need to unify efforts to protect Al-Aqsa from increasing Israeli violations, in light of the challenges facing Jerusalem and its people, considering the defense of Al-Aqsa as the primary means to preserve the Palestinian and Islamic identity of the holy city.
Scenes of hope
For his part, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, confirmed that the battle of the Israeli occupation over Al-Aqsa will increase the Palestinians’ attachment to it and affirm their legitimate right to it.
He stated in press remarks that the scenes of worshippers arriving at Al-Aqsa despite all obstacles during Ramadan give rise to hope and confirm the Palestinian people’s commitment to their sacred sites and their determination to defend them.
Sheikh Sabri sees that Palestinians in 1948 occupied territories are the protective shield of Al-Aqsa, and the people of Jerusalem are the first line in its defense, despite all Israel’s attempts to impose its restrictions.
He considered the arrival of tens of thousands of worshippers at the Mosque as a safety valve for it, urging those who could not reach it to work diligently to strengthen the steadfastness of the defenders and worshippers there.
He clarified that Al-Aqsa Mosque is an exclusive Islamic right; its reality cannot be changed under any circumstances, stating, “Neither the military barracks within the walls of Jerusalem nor in the Old City can change the historical and religious reality of the city.”
Sheikh Sabri called for intensifying the defense and pilgrimage to the blessed Mosque during Ramadan, emphasizing that the defense of the Mosque is an act of worship and a religious duty, urging every Palestinian capable of making the pilgrimage to Al-Aqsa to support and protect it to do so.
