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PA
officials ensure Palestinian anger continues,
repeat
libel that Israel wants to "destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque"
in order
to "build the alleged Temple"
- PA Minister of Religious Affairs: Israel
"plans to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and establish the alleged Temple in its
place"
- PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs in official
statement: Israeli PM Netanyahu's plan is "to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and
build the alleged Temple"
- Fatah youth movement encourages more
conflict, calls for "widening confrontations with the occupation"; if Jerusalem
is "harmed," "it means opening the gates of hell before the
occupiers"
- PA and Fatah emphasize need for Palestinian
"defense" of "Arab and Islamic Jerusalem"
- PA government
"demands Islamic
nation notice real danger for Al-Aqsa Mosque, [which] obligates Muslims
throughout the world to act"
Nan Jacques
Zilberdik
Despite Israel's decision to remove its security measures at the
Temple Mount on July 24, Palestinian Authority leaders continue to provoke anger
and instill fear in Palestinians by repeating the libel that the Al-Aqsa Mosque
and Jerusalem are "in danger," and that Israel wants to "destroy the Al-Aqsa
Mosque" in order to "build the alleged Temple." The PA government stressed the
need for Palestinian "defense" of "Arab and Islamic
Jerusalem."
On the same day that Israel started to remove the metal detectors it
had put up following a terror attack in which two Israeli border policemen were
murdered on the Temple Mount, the PA Minister of Religious Affairs repeated the
libel that "Al-Aqsa is in danger" on official PA TV:
PA Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh
Yusuf Ida'is: "Israel divided [the Al-Aqsa Mosque between Jews
and Muslims] regarding [prayer] time, when it admitted the herds of settlers in
the morning hours and allowed them to hold Talmudic (i.e., Jewish) prayers, and
after it began to place metal detectors [at the entrances] it wants to divide it
[the Mosque] according to place. It wants to reach what is beyond that, as it
has plans to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and establish the alleged Temple in its
place."
[Official PA TV,
Palestine This Morning, July 24, 2017]
Emphasizing the Palestinian "defense of Jerusalem," Fatah's youth
movement Shabiba called for "widening confrontations with the occupation,"
stating that if Jerusalem is "harmed" - "it means opening the gates of hell
before the occupiers":
"The Fatah Shabiba [youth] movement...
saluted 'the resolve and Ribat (i.e., religious conflict/war over land
claimed to be Islamic) of the members of our people, its women, young, elderly,
national forces, and religious institutions in Jerusalem, which are currently
proudly defending the Arabness of Jerusalem, the Islamicness of the Al-Aqsa
Mosque, and the honor of the Arab nation and the Islamic nation.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 27, 2017]
Fatah's Shabiba further encouraged Palestinians to seek more
confrontations with Israel:
"Fatah's Shabiba demanded that its sons,
activists, and supporters, and all of the young Palestinians widely participate
in a Friday of Ribat, to widen the circle of the confrontation with the
occupation forces and the herds of settlers, to open all the fronts in the
villages, cities, and refugee camps, and to widen the area of confrontation so
that it will include all of the settlements and roads that serve them, in order
to convey the message of the young Palestinians that Jerusalem is a Palestinian
taboo, and that harming it means opening the gates of hell before the
occupiers."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 27, 2017]
The PA government presented Israel's removal of the security measures
as a "victory" in the "defense of the Arabness of Jerusalem on behalf of the
Arab nation and the Islamic nation," and praised Palestinians for their riots
and protests:
"Official Spokesman of the [PA] national
unity government Yusuf Al-Mahmoud said that entering the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque
today [July 27, 2017] is a great historical moment that paves the way to
liberation, heralds the approaching end of the Israeli occupation, and reminds
[us] of the glorious victories of our nation...
The national unity government led by [PA
Prime Minister] Rami Hamdallah... blessed the brave leadership led by [PA]
President Mahmoud Abbas, the religious [Muslim] sources of authority, the
Christian clergy, all of the members of our great people, and the members of our
nation, and primarily the heroic members of our people in Jerusalem who
gloriously defended the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Arabness of Jerusalem on
behalf of the Arab nation and the Islamic nation."
[WAFA, official PA news agency,
July 27, 2017]
The PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs similarly said that "the battle of
the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem is continuing and will only end with the
disappearance of the occupation." In a statement, the ministry speculated as to
whether "Netanyahu [will] again repeat his attempts to divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque
according to areas and times prior to its destruction and the building of the
alleged Temple...?" The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also instructed Palestinians
to prepare for more "rounds of battle":
"We must be alert and careful, and we must
not celebrate the victory in the first round of this battle, but rather treat it
as one of several rounds."
[Official PA
daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 27, 2017]
PA Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Ida'is also "called on
citizens to go to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in greater numbers" in order to "strengthen
the achievements," meaning Israel's removal of the security measures. The
minister further repeated the PA's claim that the Muslim holy places, including
the Temple Mount, only "belong" to the Muslims:
"[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh
Yusuf Ida'is... emphasized that the members of the [Palestinian] people in
Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine have conveyed a clear and unequivocal
message to the government of Israel: Our holy sites, and primarily the diamond
in the crown, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are not places [that belong to] anybody but
the Muslims, who will not be lax in defending them."
[WAFA, official PA news agency,
July 27, 2017]
Similarly Abbas' Deputy in Fatah, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, stressed that
Israel is facing an "intifada"":
"Fatah Movement Deputy Chairman [and Fatah
Central Committee member] Mahmoud Al-Aloul said that our people carried out
intifada in order to resist the occupation's crimes and the decisions and steps
of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government in Jerusalem and at
the Al-Aqsa Mosque and for its sovereignty and freedom. He also emphasized that
the leadership has decided to transfer the matter of [Israeli] settlement to the
International Criminal Court.
Al-Aloul added: 'Netanyahu and his
extremist government do not understand the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and
Jerusalem in the heart of every Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim, and we think that
Netanyahu is currently facing intifada and resistance from our people because of
his army's crimes and the extremist steps of his government.' He also emphasized
the support of our people for the holy sites, its freedom, and sovereignty over
the holy sites."
[WAFA, official PA news agency,
July 26, 2017]
The following are longer excerpts of the statements mentioned
above:
Headline: "Al-Aloul: Our people ignited the
Al-Aqsa Intifada for its holy sites, freedom, and sovereignty"
"Fatah Movement Deputy Chairman [and Fatah
Central Committee member] Mahmoud Al-Aloul said that our people carried out
intifada in order to resist the occupation's crimes and the decisions and steps
of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government in Jerusalem and at
the Al-Aqsa Mosque (refers to Israel placing metal detectors at the Temple Mount
following a terror attack there on July 14, 2017, in which 2 Israelis were
murdered; see note below. Israel decided to remove them on July 24, 2017 -Ed.),
and for its sovereignty and freedom. He also emphasized that the leadership has
decided to transfer the matter of [Israeli] settlement to the International
Criminal Court.
Al-Aloul added in an interview with Radio
Mawtini today, Wednesday [July 26, 2017]: 'Netanyahu and his extremist
government do not understand the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem in
the heart of every Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim, and we think that Netanyahu is
currently facing intifada and resistance from our people because of his army's
crimes and the extremist steps of his government.' He also emphasized the
support of our people for the holy sites, its freedom, and sovereignty over the
holy sites.
Al-Aloul revealed what preceded the
[Palestinian] leadership's decision to reject any change that the occupation
authorities are carrying out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and around it, and said:
'Before the leadership's meeting, [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas met with the
religious sources of authority and national figures in Jerusalem in order to be
briefed on the latest developments. Based on this, the leadership decided not to
accept any of the changes and emphasized the principle that it is necessary to
restore the situation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to what it was, as it was before
July 14, [2017,] and to continue the resolve and stance against the occupation
until the removal of everything that has been placed since that
day.'"
[WAFA, official PA news agency,
July 26, 2017]
Headline: "Ida'is calls to go up to the
Al-Aqsa Mosque tomorrow, Friday"
"[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh
Yusuf Ida'is called on citizens to go to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in greater numbers
tomorrow (Friday) [July 28, 2017] and all of the coming days, despite the
Israeli occupation's steps and restrictions that divide [the citizens] from
their worship. This is because the next stage is the stage of strengthening the
achievements (i.e., Israel's removal of metal detectors and security cameras
that Israel placed at the Temple Mount following a terror attack there on July
14, 2017, in which 2 Israelis were murdered; see note below) that the residents
of Jerusalem obtained thanks to their resolve and popular resistance
(i.e., term used by Palestinians, which also refers to the
use of violence and terror) to the occupation's
steps...
He emphasized that the members of the
[Palestinian] people in Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine have conveyed a
clear and unequivocal message to the government of Israel: Our holy sites, and
primarily the diamond in the crown, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are not places [that
belong to] anybody but the Muslims, who will not be lax in defending
them."
[WAFA, official PA news agency,
July 27, 2017]
Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Jabarin, Muhammad Hamed Abd Al-Latif Jabarin,
and Muhammad Ahmad Mufaddal Jabarin - Israeli Arab terrorists aged 29, 19, and
19, who shot from the Temple Mount at Israeli policemen, murdering 2 Israeli
Druze border policemen - Haiel Stawi and Kamil Shnaan, on July 14, 2017. Two of
the terrorists were shot and killed by other policemen during the attack. The
third terrorist was shot and killed while trying to flee. Following this attack,
Israel placed metal detectors refers at the entrances to the Temple Mount. On
July 24, 2017, Israel decided to remove the metal detectors and security
cameras. The PA continued to demand that all measures including inspections at
the entrances be removed, and Palestinians continued to riot. On July 27, 2017,
PA religious leaders declared that all Israeli measures had been
removed.
The terms "peaceful uprising/resistance," and "popular
uprising/resistance" are used by PA leaders at times to refer to peaceful
protest and at times to refer to deadly terror attacks and terror waves. For
example, Mahmoud Abbas defined as "peaceful popular" the murderous terror during
the 2015-2016 terror wave ("The Knife Intifada"), in which 40 people were killed
(36 Israelis, 1 Palestinian, 2 Americans and 1 Eritrean) and hundreds wounded by
stabbings, shootings and car ramming attacks: Abbas said: "We want peaceful popular uprising, and that's what this
is."
Headline: "The [PA] Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Expatriates: The battle of Al-Aqsa Mosque will only end with the
disappearance of the occupation"
"The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Expatriates said that the battle of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem is
continuing and will only end with the disappearance of the occupation. The
ministry explained in a statement yesterday [July 26, 2017] that... it appears
that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu thought that this battle would
succeed thanks to American aid and Arab, Islamic, and international silence, but
Jerusalem's [Arab] masses and its national and religious leadership surprised
him when they rose up to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e., they launched violent
riots) and prevented the success of his plans. The question that is still being
asked is: 'Will the matters stop at this point or will Netanyahu again repeat
his attempts to divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque according to areas and times prior to
its destruction and the building of the alleged Temple, or will he instead adopt
a new and different tactic?' ...
The statement also said: 'We must be alert
and careful, and we must not celebrate the victory in the first round of this
battle, but rather treat it as one of several rounds. This is because now we are
still dealing with the infrared ray smart cameras (refers to Israeli plans to
install advanced security cameras within the next six months -Ed.) and others
that expose the citizens to the danger of radiation.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 27, 2017]
"Division according to areas and times" refers to a proposed law (May
2013) being reviewed in Israeli Parliament that would allow for both Jews and
Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount, what the Palestinians call the Al-Aqsa
Mosque plaza. The law seeks to designate separate prayer times and areas of the
site for Muslims and Jews. However, Israeli PM Netanyahu has stated on many
occasions that the Israeli government has no intention of changing the status
quo on the Temple Mount, which means Jews are allowed to enter the Temple Mount,
but cannot pray there or engage in any type of worship.
Headline: "The [PA] government: Entering
the Al-Aqsa Mosque today is a historical moment that paves the way to liberation
and heralds the end of the occupation"
"Official Spokesman of the [PA] national
unity government Yusuf Al-Mahmoud said that entering the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque
today [July 27, 2017] is a great historical moment that paves the way to
liberation, heralds the approaching end of the Israeli occupation, and reminds
[us] of the glorious victories of our nation...
In a press statement today (Thursday),
Al-Mahmoud added that the national unity government led by [PA Prime Minister]
Rami Hamdallah expresses its full respect and admiration for the souls of our
people's heroic Martyrs (Shahids). It blessed the brave leadership led by [PA]
President Mahmoud Abbas, the religious [Muslim] sources of authority, the
Christian clergy, all of the members of our great people, and the members of our
nation, and primarily the heroic members of our people in Jerusalem who
gloriously defended the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Arabness of Jerusalem on
behalf of the Arab nation and the Islamic nation."
[WAFA, official PA news agency,
July 27, 2017]
Headline: "The Shabiba calls for widespread
participation in a Friday of Ribat as a sign of support for
Jerusalem"
"The Fatah Shabiba [youth] movement in the
West Bank published a statement in which it saluted 'the resolve and Ribat
(i.e., religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) of the members of
our people, its women, young, elderly, national forces, and religious
institutions in Jerusalem, which are currently proudly defending the Arabness of
Jerusalem, the Islamicness of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the honor of the Arab
nation and the Islamic nation.' The Shabiba movement also appreciated the
position of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership, their
latest decisions regarding Jerusalem, including stopping all types of contact
with the occupation, and their call to the members of our people to carry out
Ribat in order to defend the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. It also admired the
position of the Palestinian leadership to aid the resolve of the Palestinian
citizens in Jerusalem. Fatah's Shabiba demanded that its sons, activists, and
supporters, and all of the young Palestinians widely participate in a Friday of
Ribat, to widen the circle of the confrontation with the occupation forces and
the herds of settlers, to open all the fronts in the villages, cities, and
refugee camps, and to widen the area of confrontation so that it will include
all of the settlements and roads that serve them, in order to convey the message
of the young Palestinians that Jerusalem is a Palestinian taboo, and that
harming it means opening the gates of hell before the occupiers."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 27, 2017]
Headline: "The [PA] government decides to
establish an emergency committee and immediately implement the [PA] president's
instructions to support Jerusalem"
"During its weekly meeting, which was held
yesterday [July 25, 2017]... led by [PA Prime Minister] Rami Hamdallah, the [PA]
government emphasized its complete support for the positions presented by [PA]
President Mahmoud Abbas in his speech on Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa
Mosque. It also emphasized its support for the government's decision to freeze
all of the contacts with the Israeli side until the cancelation of all of the
recent steps, particularly in Jerusalem and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque (refers
to Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount following a terror attack there
that were later removed; see note below -Ed.)...
The government demanded that the Arab
nation and Islamic nation notice the real danger posed to the holy city [of
Jerusalem] and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which obligates the Muslims
throughout the world to act seriously and stand against the dangers encircling
the holy city. [It added that] this obligates the international community to act
immediately and fulfill its obligations in order to stop the occupation
government's attacks, its racist steps, its Judaizing violations, and the
religious war that it is igniting against Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa
Mosque."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 26, 2017]
The PA government's mention of recent Israeli steps in Jerusalem refers
to Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount, including metal detectors at
the entrances, following an attack there on July 14, 2017, in which 2 Israeli
border police officers were murdered by 3 Israeli Arab terrorists. On July 24,
2017, Israel decided to remove the metal detectors and security cameras it had
placed at the site. The PA continued to demand that all measures including
inspections at the entrances be removed, and Palestinians continued to riot. On
July 27, 2017, PA religious leaders declared that all Israeli measures had been
removed.
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