Stationed silently in al-Aqsa Mosque you may see him in the lines of worshipers and sit-inners. He does not speak a lot but he masters listening and perhaps also bearing the worries of his city over his shoulders; he’s the Palestinian octogenarian Abu Yaqoub Al-Taweel.
Abu Yaqoub 81 years old spends most of his time in the yards of al-Aqsa Mosque and on the “Mastaba” next to the ablution area called “Al-Ka’ss” where you would see him contemplating the past and the present.
Al-Aqsa memories
Abo Yaqoub told the Palestinian Information Center that the city of Jerusalem fell under the British Mandate then the Jordanian rule and today is being held captive under the Israeli occupation. He added that the situation before the occupation was more stable and far better than today.
He recalled how al-Aqsa Mosque used to embrace scout teams and “Dabkeh” dancers during official events. He also recalled how the Mosque was always packed with worshipers while today the situation is deeply painful when the Mosque is being emptied of worshipers because of the occupation’s restrictions.
Abo Yaqoub spoke about his daily trip to al-Aqsa Mosque to pray al-Zuhr Asr and Maghrib in congregation then returns to his home in Ras al-Amud.
He simultaneously relayed how women sit-inners were stationed inside al-Aqsa steadfastly facing and repelling the groups of intruding settlers who break their way into al-Aqsa Mosque. He spoke of their and shouts of “Allahu Akbar” every time settler groups passed in front of them. He also described how in some cases the occupation police forces who usually escort the settler groups fired tear gas or sprayed pepper spray against the worshipers and sit-inners who defended al-Aqsa.
Abu Yaqoub complained of not being able to withstand the tear gas that causes him health problems pointing out that this suffering extends to haunt him in Ras al-Amud neighborhood near his home when the occupation forces pursue children who throw rocks at the troops.
Partition schemes
Following a moment of contemplation elderly Abu Yaqoub warned that the Israeli occupation is bent on taking control over al-Aqsa and he does not doubt that the occupation would one day divide the Mosque as they have done in al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil.
He continued: “We pray to Allah to spare al-Aqsa Mosque all the plots and schemes of the occupation as we pray that the Mosque remains under the control of Muslims who are willing to defend the Mosque with their lives and their hearts” calling on Arabs and Muslims to work “to free al-Aqsa from the hands of the Zionists”.
He condemned the repeated incursions of settlers and the practices of the occupation against the worshipers who come to the Mosque and are exposed to the occupation’s harassment including inspection identity checking and ID confiscation until they leave the Mosque. He denounced the continued control of the occupation over the Mughrabi Gate since 1967 making it a gate for settlers’ access.
And about his work he said that he worked as a “porter” at the Jaffa Gate; one of the Holy city’s gates for forty years and he decided to leave that profession and devote himself to al-Aqsa after he aged.
Finally Abu Yaqoub prayed that Allah would protect al-Aqsa from all harm and shield it from settlers who pose a threat in light of the Israeli plans that aims to divide the holy Islamic site.
