Displays of defiance at Al Aqsa

Two articles, 1) Middle-East Eye, 2) Ma’an news. Plus NOTE on the law of retaliation.

Palestinians run from tear gas fired by Israeli police in Jerusalem. Photo by Reuters

Israel braces for Palestinian ‘day of rage’ as al-Aqsa talks collapse

PA chief negotiator arrested, leaders call for resistance as Israel refuses to remove security from Jerusalem’s Noble Sanctuary site

By Lubna Masarwa, MEE
July 21, 2017

JERUSALEM – Israel sent thousands of extra police into Jerusalem on Friday after talks to remove Israeli metal detectors from around the Noble Sanctuary compound failed, Palestinian officials were rounded up, and Palestinian religious leaders and politicians called for a “day of rage” and resistance.

Israel’s cabinet on Friday morning said the security measures would remain around the site in Jerusalem’s Old City, and thousands of extra police were being sent to the area, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government braced for mass protests over Israel’s control of Islam’s third holiest site, which includes al-Aqsa mosque.

The Israeli offer … was unreservedly rejected by the Palestinians
– Hatem Abdel-Kader

Hatem Abdel-Kader, the Palestinian Authority’s chief negotiator, was among a number of officials arrested by Israel early on Friday morning, hours after he told Middle East Eye that talks to resolve the crisis had failed.

“The Israeli offer to keep the metal detectors in place, but only require suspicious individuals to pass through them, was unreservedly rejected by the Palestinians,” he said.

Abdel-Kader warned that if the situation persists, “there will be an escalation tomorrow. Clashes will inevitably continue, until freedom of religion is restored.”

Israel has not given its reasons for his arrest.

Israeli police fire tear gas on Palestinians near al-Aqsa mosque on Friday. Photo by Reuters

‘Act now to protect al-Aqsa’

Clashes between Palestinians hurling stones and Israeli police using stun grenades have been a daily occurrence in East Jerusalem since metal detectors were placed on Saturday at entrances to the Noble Sanctuary, which includes the al-Aqsa mosque.

Israel installed the metal detectors after three Arab-Israeli gunmen shot dead two Israeli policemen on 14 July outside the Noble Sanctuary complex in one of the most serious attacks in the area in years. Israeli security forces killed the assailants.

Religious figures and Palestinian politicians called for resistance on Friday morning to what is widely seen across Palestine as an attempt by Israel to control al-Aqsa.
Abdala Athem Salhab, the head of the Waqf council which administers the Noble Sanctuary site, said:

“We are all united and it’s our responsibility to protect the Aqsa mosque – we won’t step back. We are asking Jordan to intervene to remove the doors, otherwise Israel is leading the area to religious war.”

Ahmed Tibi, a member of the Israeli parliament for the Arab List coalition, said it was the duty of Palestinians in Israel and Jerusalem and the West Bank

“to act now in order to protect the Aqsa from the Israeli forces. The Aqsa is not only a religion issue but also a political one.

“Our response to Netanyahu is that we say no to the detectors and we will continue the protest. We hope the Islamic world and the international community take action to stop the violations.”

Violations

Muslim religious authorities claim the metal detectors violate a delicate agreement on worship and security arrangements at the Jerusalem site and have urged Palestinians not to pass through. Prayers have been held near an entrance to the complex.

Muslims in Gaza join the protest

On Thursday night, Israeli forces wounded 22 Palestinians at Lion’s Gate, near Haram al-Sharif, in Jerusalem. According to the Red Crescent, two of those hurt are in serious condition after they were hit by a stun grenade.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has considered removing the devices at the Jerusalem holy site but so far, the detectors remain in place.

Abdel-Kader said that the move to instal metal detectors in the compound is a power play on Israel’s part. He told Middle East Eye,

“The metal detectors serve no security purpose whatsoever. Rather, their erection is a political play to pressure Palestinians into relinquishing control of al-Aqsa.

“With the religious and political sensitivities surrounding al Aqsa – as a universal sanctuary for Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims – Israel is taking a massive gamble and ultimately, crossing a red line. Undoubtedly, this may have dangerous consequences.”

The negotiator added that all of the mosques in Jerusalem will be closed on Friday in an effort to “direct Palestinians toward al-Aqsa”, which he hopes will draw thousands of people.

Palestinian Muslims protest outside the entrance to the old city of Jerusalem, partially blocked by Israeli Police, July 17, 2017. Only individuals are now permitted by Israel police to enter, through metal detectors, which has sparked outrage amongst Muslims. Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty

Far-right members of Netanyahu’s government have publicly urged him to keep the devices in place at the flashpoint. Still, Israeli media reports said security chiefs were divided over the issue amid concerns about wider Palestinian unrest in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to swiftly remove the detectors “within the framework of freedom of religion and worship”.

“Given the importance that Haram al-Sharif carries for the whole Islamic world, the metal detectors put in place by Israel should be removed in the shortest possible time and an end put to the tension,” Erdogan said.

Rivlin told Erdogan that “the steps taken on the Temple Mount were intended to ensure that such acts of terror could not be repeated,” according to the Israeli presidency.

On Thursday, the US expressed concern over a possible escalation if Israel kept its metal detectors and doors in place.

The White House called on Israel and Jordan to act in order to find a suitable solution to keep the status quo.

It said in a statement: “The United States is very concerned about tensions surrounding the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, a site holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians.

“[It] calls upon Israel and Jordan to make a good faith effort to reduce tensions and to find a solution that assures public safety and the security of the site and maintains the status quo.”

As negotiations stall, Abdel-Kader warned of a new intifada if the situation escalates further.

“The Israelis are well aware and know that past intifadas were inflamed by security measures relating to the mosque. Netanyahu must personally take responsibility for the crisis,” he said.

Thousands of Palestinians march towards Al-Aqsa to denounce Israeli measures

By Ma’an news
July 21, 2017

JERUSALEM — Tensions were running high in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday as thousands of Palestinians were marching towards the Old City to denounce increased Israeli security measures in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which Israeli authorities decided to maintain early on Friday, despite recommendations from Israel’s own security agencies.

As of 3 p.m., a Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson told Ma’an that at least 113 Palestinians had been injured in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, while a 17-year-old Palestinian was reportedly shot and killed by an Israeli settler during clashes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud, and at least one other Jerusalemite was reported to be in critical condition.

Meanwhile, Israeli police reported that four officers were injured in East Jerusalem when demonstrators threw stones.

Israeli border police arrest a Palestinian boy outside the Lions’ Gate entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on July 17, 2017. Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP

Israel increases restrictions, armed presence in Old City

The Waqf, the Islamic endowment administering Al-Aqsa, called earlier this week on all mosques in Jerusalem to be closed on Friday and for all Muslim worshipers in the city to head towards Al-Aqsa to denounce the installation of metal detectors, turnstiles, and additional security cameras in the compound after a shooting attack on July 14 left the assailants, three Palestinian citizens of Israel, and two Israeli border police officers killed.

According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, Israeli police decided on Friday morning that the metal detectors installed at the entrance of the Al-Aqsa compound would remain in place, following overnight discussions by the Israeli security cabinet, although police said they would be used at the police’s discretion, and not against all people seeking to enter the compound.

Israeli police also decided to prevent Palestinian men below the age of 50 from entering the Old City and Al-Aqsa.

However, Israel’s intelligence service, the Shin Bet, and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) have expressed reservations to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the use of metal detectors, arguing that the anger sparked by the measures might outweigh the security benefits of keeping them, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Palestinians have seen the measures at Al-Aqsa as the latest example of Israeli authorities using Israeli-Palestinian violence and tensions as a means of furthering control over important sites in the occupied Palestinian territory and normalizing heightened measures by Israeli forces targeting Palestinians.

At least 3,000 members of Israeli forces were deployed across Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday morning, especially near the Al-Aqsa compound, as metal barricades were set up at the Lions’ Gate to the compound, where thousands of Palestinians have been gathering for the past week to pray, refusing to go through the security apparatus installed at Al-Aqsa following a deadly shooting a week earlier.

Israeli forces injure demonstrators, block access to Old City

Despite increased police presence, hundreds of Palestinians Muslims performed the fajr prayers at dawn in front of Lions’ Gate. However, clashes reportedly erupted at Lions’ Gate around noon.

Worshippers and Palestinian first responders carry Al-Aqsa Mosque imam Ikrimah Sabri who was wounded by a plastic bullet when Israeli soldiers moved to break up night prayer outside the main entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on July 18, 2017. Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/ Anadolu Agency

Meanwhile, at least two Israeli and foreign journalists were reporting that Israeli police had forcibly removed them from Lions’ Gate and were refusing to let them enter the area. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld did not respond to a request for comment from Ma’an on whether journalists were forbidden from accessing certain areas of the Old City.

The Palestinian Red Crescent told Ma’an that both ambulances and paramedics — even on foot — were also prevented from accessing Lions’ Gate.

Thousands of Palestinians who could not enter the Old City performed noon prayers in surrounding areas — on Salah al-Din Street, near the Gethsemane Church, in Wadi Joz, and at the Jaffa Gate to the Old City.

The Palestinian Red Crescent told Ma’an that Israeli forces injured at least six worshipers on Salah al-Din Street with rubber-coated steel bullets, while scores of others suffered from tear gas inhalation. Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri said that Israeli forces “dispersed” demonstrators after they allegedly threw rocks.

Video footage showed hundreds of demonstrators fleeing as scores of Israeli officers heavily fired tear gas, and sound bombs towards the crowd.

The health organization later said that a Palestinian was in critical condition after being shot in the eye, while another had been hit in the face with a tear gas canister, adding that both had been transferred to a hospital for treatment. The Red Crescent did not specify where in Jerusalem the two men had been injured.

The al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem urgently called for blood donations on Friday due to the large number of injuries in the clashes, as Israeli forces raided the hospital, reportedly firing tear gas in the vicinity of the medical centre.

Israeli forces also set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabal al-Mukabbir village, where border police equipped with dogs and skunk water vehicles were deployed in order to prevent residents from heading towards the Old City.

Meanwhile, Ynet reported that Israeli forces prevented a bus carrying Palestinians with Israeli citizenship from the area of Latrun from entering Jerusalem.

At least 79 demonstrators were injured by Israeli forces in the Old City on Thursday night, as Israeli police also detained a number of Palestinian political figures and activists.

NOTE

The biblical/Torah law on retaliation: it must be like, and it must be proportionate.

Exodus chapter 21

This is famously overturned for Christians by Matthew 5:38-42 King James Version