25 apr 2016
By: Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, author and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story.
“We won’t act like them, we will not use violence or force, we are peaceful, we believe in peace, in peaceful popular resistance.” This was part of a message issued by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in October, only days after a few incidents took place in which Palestinian youth were accused of attacking Israeli soldiers and settlers with knives.
The message would have carried some weight were it not laden with contradictions. On one hand, Abbas’ supposed “peace” quest has only entrenched the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and all but completely isolated illegally occupied and annexed East Jerusalem.
Moreover, what “peaceful popular resistance” is Abbas, 80, referring to? What war of “peaceful” national liberation has he been leading? And how could a leader, ever so unpopular, be leading a “popular resistance” anyway?
Just two weeks before Abbas made that statement in which he referred to some illusory “popular resistance” under his command, a poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah revealed that a majority of Palestinians, 65% of respondents, want him to resign.
Of course, while Abbas continues to prophesize about some non-existent peace -- as he has done for most of his lucrative career -- Israel continues to wreak havoc on Palestinians, using every means of violence at its disposal.
Granted, Israel’s propensity to maintain its violent occupation cannot be blamed on Abbas. It is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition that should be blamed squarely for the occupation and the mistreatment and humiliation of Palestinians on a daily basis.
However, such truth should not detract from Abbas’ terrible legacy and ongoing misconduct. In fact, some urgent questions must be asked in that regard:
If Abbas is such a peacenik, why is his military budget so disproportionately large?
According to information published by Visualizing Palestine, 31 percent of the PA budget is spent on the military and policing of the West Bank. Compare this to 18 percent on education, 13 percent on health and only 1 percent on agriculture. The latter percentage is particularly troubling, considering that Palestinian land, orchards, and olive groves are the main target for Israel, which usurps the land in order to expand its military zones and illegal settlements.
The huge discrepancy between funds allocated to Palestinian security forces -- which never confront Israel's military occupation, only Palestinian resistance -- and those spent to assist farmers in their “sumoud” (steadfastness) while their land is being targeted and confiscated daily, is a testament to the mixed priorities of Abbas and his Authority.
Even Israel, which is obsessed with its security, and manages several fronts of war and military occupation spends only 22 percent of its total budget on the military, which is still quite high by average standards.
Abbas’ “peace” is, of course, quite selective. He rules over occupied Palestinians with an iron fist, rarely tolerates dissent within his party, Fatah’s, ranks, and has done his utmost to isolate the Gaza Strip and sustain a state of conflict with his enemies in the Hamas movement.
More recently, and due to mere criticism leveled at him by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a prominent Palestinian faction and PLO member, Abbas decided to choke them of funds. In Abbas’ “peaceful” world, there is zero room for tolerance.
The PFLP criticism was a response to statements he made on Israeli television.
In a recent interview, he insisted that security coordination with Israel is a top priority for him. Without such coordination, the PA will find itself “on the brink of collapse,” he told Israel Channel 2 on March 31.
Apart from apprehending suspected Palestinian resisters, the security coordination includes searching school children’s bags for knives, according to the Palestinian leader. “Our security forces are entering schools and checking if students are carrying knives. In one school, we found 70 students with knives, and we told them that this was wrong. I told them I do not want you to kill someone and die; I want you to live and for others to live, too.”
Abbas’ statement on life and death does not, in the least, address the context of oppression, the humiliation of military occupation and the prevailing sense of despair that exists among young Palestinians, caught between a belligerent, violent occupation, and a submissive leadership.
Convincing them not to “kill someone and die,” involved “the security forces arresting the students who were found with knives, questioning them, torturing them, and threatening their families,” wrote Palestinian commentator Munir Shafiq.
“We only need to listen to the experiences of many who were tortured by the Israeli Shabak and the Palestinian security agencies, who said that the Palestinian security agencies are harsher, more barbaric and more brutal than the Shabak,” Shafiq wrote in Arabi21. So much for being “peaceful” and “believing in peace.”
Writing in Rai al-Youm, Kamal Khalf wonders if it is time to look into the legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas, a man who has ruled with an expired mandate for years. While refraining from any personal attack on Abbas, Khalf raises the possibility whether the PA president’s emotional and psychological well-being in his old age ought to be questioned, especially when one considers some of his latest statements: attacking Palestinian resistance, searching children’s schoolbags, and avowing his love for Israeli music.
When Abbas Zaki, the well-respected member of Fatah's Central Committee, returned from a recent visit to Tehran, he was attacked by Abbas who "accused him of receiving $50,000 from the Iranians and he demanded the money be given to him instead,” he wrote.
The number of Abbas’ bizarre actions and strange statements seem to be increasing with age. It is no secret, of course, that there has been much discussion about succession within Fatah and the PA, once Abbas is no longer in the picture. Until then, such eccentricity should be expected.
However, it is essential that the discussion does not entirely focus on Abbas, for he is merely representative of a whole class of usurpers who have used the Palestinian cause to advance their own positions, wealth and prestige.
There is little evidence to suggest that Abbas’ current position -- soft on the occupation, hard on the Palestinians -- is new, or motivated by age and mental health. For the sake of fairness, the arbitrator of the Oslo accords has been consistent in this regard.
Since Arafat’s death in 2004, and his advent to power through a questionable democratic process in 2005, Abbas has worked laboriously to coexist with the Israeli occupation but failed to co-exist with his own Palestinian rivals.
True, it has been a decade of unmitigated Palestinian leadership failure, but it certainly took more than Abbas to manage that political fiasco. Now, at 80, Abbas seems to have become a scapegoat for a whole class of Palestinians which has worked to manage the occupation and benefit from it.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, author and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story.
“We won’t act like them, we will not use violence or force, we are peaceful, we believe in peace, in peaceful popular resistance.” This was part of a message issued by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in October, only days after a few incidents took place in which Palestinian youth were accused of attacking Israeli soldiers and settlers with knives.
The message would have carried some weight were it not laden with contradictions. On one hand, Abbas’ supposed “peace” quest has only entrenched the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and all but completely isolated illegally occupied and annexed East Jerusalem.
Moreover, what “peaceful popular resistance” is Abbas, 80, referring to? What war of “peaceful” national liberation has he been leading? And how could a leader, ever so unpopular, be leading a “popular resistance” anyway?
Just two weeks before Abbas made that statement in which he referred to some illusory “popular resistance” under his command, a poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah revealed that a majority of Palestinians, 65% of respondents, want him to resign.
Of course, while Abbas continues to prophesize about some non-existent peace -- as he has done for most of his lucrative career -- Israel continues to wreak havoc on Palestinians, using every means of violence at its disposal.
Granted, Israel’s propensity to maintain its violent occupation cannot be blamed on Abbas. It is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition that should be blamed squarely for the occupation and the mistreatment and humiliation of Palestinians on a daily basis.
However, such truth should not detract from Abbas’ terrible legacy and ongoing misconduct. In fact, some urgent questions must be asked in that regard:
If Abbas is such a peacenik, why is his military budget so disproportionately large?
According to information published by Visualizing Palestine, 31 percent of the PA budget is spent on the military and policing of the West Bank. Compare this to 18 percent on education, 13 percent on health and only 1 percent on agriculture. The latter percentage is particularly troubling, considering that Palestinian land, orchards, and olive groves are the main target for Israel, which usurps the land in order to expand its military zones and illegal settlements.
The huge discrepancy between funds allocated to Palestinian security forces -- which never confront Israel's military occupation, only Palestinian resistance -- and those spent to assist farmers in their “sumoud” (steadfastness) while their land is being targeted and confiscated daily, is a testament to the mixed priorities of Abbas and his Authority.
Even Israel, which is obsessed with its security, and manages several fronts of war and military occupation spends only 22 percent of its total budget on the military, which is still quite high by average standards.
Abbas’ “peace” is, of course, quite selective. He rules over occupied Palestinians with an iron fist, rarely tolerates dissent within his party, Fatah’s, ranks, and has done his utmost to isolate the Gaza Strip and sustain a state of conflict with his enemies in the Hamas movement.
More recently, and due to mere criticism leveled at him by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a prominent Palestinian faction and PLO member, Abbas decided to choke them of funds. In Abbas’ “peaceful” world, there is zero room for tolerance.
The PFLP criticism was a response to statements he made on Israeli television.
In a recent interview, he insisted that security coordination with Israel is a top priority for him. Without such coordination, the PA will find itself “on the brink of collapse,” he told Israel Channel 2 on March 31.
Apart from apprehending suspected Palestinian resisters, the security coordination includes searching school children’s bags for knives, according to the Palestinian leader. “Our security forces are entering schools and checking if students are carrying knives. In one school, we found 70 students with knives, and we told them that this was wrong. I told them I do not want you to kill someone and die; I want you to live and for others to live, too.”
Abbas’ statement on life and death does not, in the least, address the context of oppression, the humiliation of military occupation and the prevailing sense of despair that exists among young Palestinians, caught between a belligerent, violent occupation, and a submissive leadership.
Convincing them not to “kill someone and die,” involved “the security forces arresting the students who were found with knives, questioning them, torturing them, and threatening their families,” wrote Palestinian commentator Munir Shafiq.
“We only need to listen to the experiences of many who were tortured by the Israeli Shabak and the Palestinian security agencies, who said that the Palestinian security agencies are harsher, more barbaric and more brutal than the Shabak,” Shafiq wrote in Arabi21. So much for being “peaceful” and “believing in peace.”
Writing in Rai al-Youm, Kamal Khalf wonders if it is time to look into the legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas, a man who has ruled with an expired mandate for years. While refraining from any personal attack on Abbas, Khalf raises the possibility whether the PA president’s emotional and psychological well-being in his old age ought to be questioned, especially when one considers some of his latest statements: attacking Palestinian resistance, searching children’s schoolbags, and avowing his love for Israeli music.
When Abbas Zaki, the well-respected member of Fatah's Central Committee, returned from a recent visit to Tehran, he was attacked by Abbas who "accused him of receiving $50,000 from the Iranians and he demanded the money be given to him instead,” he wrote.
The number of Abbas’ bizarre actions and strange statements seem to be increasing with age. It is no secret, of course, that there has been much discussion about succession within Fatah and the PA, once Abbas is no longer in the picture. Until then, such eccentricity should be expected.
However, it is essential that the discussion does not entirely focus on Abbas, for he is merely representative of a whole class of usurpers who have used the Palestinian cause to advance their own positions, wealth and prestige.
There is little evidence to suggest that Abbas’ current position -- soft on the occupation, hard on the Palestinians -- is new, or motivated by age and mental health. For the sake of fairness, the arbitrator of the Oslo accords has been consistent in this regard.
Since Arafat’s death in 2004, and his advent to power through a questionable democratic process in 2005, Abbas has worked laboriously to coexist with the Israeli occupation but failed to co-exist with his own Palestinian rivals.
True, it has been a decade of unmitigated Palestinian leadership failure, but it certainly took more than Abbas to manage that political fiasco. Now, at 80, Abbas seems to have become a scapegoat for a whole class of Palestinians which has worked to manage the occupation and benefit from it.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Tens of thousands of Israeli settlers stormed Monday al-Buraq area west of al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals as part of Passover festival.
Large numbers of Israeli setters stormed the Mosque since the morning hours under heavy police protection and performed Talmudic rituals at al-Buraq wall.
Thousands of Israeli policemen had already been deployed in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem since the early morning hours to provide protection for the settlers.
Palestinian residents living in the Old City have been facing severe restrictions enforced by the Israeli military during the Jewish Passover holiday.
Similar severe restrictions on Palestinians, including denied access to al-Aqsa Mosque, are typically implemented by the Israeli authorities during Jewish holidays for alleged security purposes.
Large numbers of Israeli setters stormed the Mosque since the morning hours under heavy police protection and performed Talmudic rituals at al-Buraq wall.
Thousands of Israeli policemen had already been deployed in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem since the early morning hours to provide protection for the settlers.
Palestinian residents living in the Old City have been facing severe restrictions enforced by the Israeli military during the Jewish Passover holiday.
Similar severe restrictions on Palestinians, including denied access to al-Aqsa Mosque, are typically implemented by the Israeli authorities during Jewish holidays for alleged security purposes.
The Jordanian government has strongly denounced Israel's persistence in its violations against the Aqsa Mosque and Muslim worshipers, warning that its practices at the Islamic holy shrine would lead to dire consequences.
Spokesman for the government Mohamed al-Momani condemned, in press remarks on Sunday, the Israeli violations against Muslim worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque as a violation of international laws and conventions.
Momani demanded the Israeli government to immediately stop such violations at the Mosque, ban settlers and Israeli forces from entering its courtyards and allow all Palestinian worshipers to enter it without any restrictions.
In a new incident, about 50 settlers on Monday morning desecrated the Mosque's courtyards under police protection, just one day after tension broke out at the Islamic holy site as result of settlers' provocative acts.
Spokesman for the government Mohamed al-Momani condemned, in press remarks on Sunday, the Israeli violations against Muslim worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque as a violation of international laws and conventions.
Momani demanded the Israeli government to immediately stop such violations at the Mosque, ban settlers and Israeli forces from entering its courtyards and allow all Palestinian worshipers to enter it without any restrictions.
In a new incident, about 50 settlers on Monday morning desecrated the Mosque's courtyards under police protection, just one day after tension broke out at the Islamic holy site as result of settlers' provocative acts.
Israeli soldiers closed, on Monday morning, the main entrance of the Hebron Emergency Center, run by the Hebron Health Committees, by placing concrete blocks, completely sealing it, and deployed dozens of soldiers on its rooftop.
Dr. Ramzi Abu Yousef, director of the Health Work Committees (HWC) in Hebron, said many soldiers occupied the center’s rooftop, and turned it into a military base.
Abu Yousef warned of the consequences of this violation, especially since the center receives hundreds of patients on a daily basis, and added that the center provides its medical services to more than 60.000 Palestinians.
“For years now, the center has been subject to frequent Israeli military violations, including many invasions, and the soldiers even fired gas bombs at it,” Abu Yousef said, “They also repeatedly sprayed it with waste-water mixed with chemicals, in addition to harassing the patients and their families, and the various measures restricting their freedom of movement.”
The HWC voiced an urgent appeal to various human right groups to intervene, and provide the needed protection to Palestinian health centers, in addition to pressuring Israel into halting its serious violations.
“People who need medical care have the right to receive it, but Israel continues to violate it,” the HWC added, “International Humanitarian Law stresses on the importance of unrestricted access to medical facilities.”
Dr. Ramzi Abu Yousef, director of the Health Work Committees (HWC) in Hebron, said many soldiers occupied the center’s rooftop, and turned it into a military base.
Abu Yousef warned of the consequences of this violation, especially since the center receives hundreds of patients on a daily basis, and added that the center provides its medical services to more than 60.000 Palestinians.
“For years now, the center has been subject to frequent Israeli military violations, including many invasions, and the soldiers even fired gas bombs at it,” Abu Yousef said, “They also repeatedly sprayed it with waste-water mixed with chemicals, in addition to harassing the patients and their families, and the various measures restricting their freedom of movement.”
The HWC voiced an urgent appeal to various human right groups to intervene, and provide the needed protection to Palestinian health centers, in addition to pressuring Israel into halting its serious violations.
“People who need medical care have the right to receive it, but Israel continues to violate it,” the HWC added, “International Humanitarian Law stresses on the importance of unrestricted access to medical facilities.”
A horde of 50 extremist Israeli settlers, escorted by police and army officers, stormed on early Monday morning the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
Reporting from Occupied Jerusalem, a PIC news correspondent said the occupation police have cracked down on the Muslim worshipers and cordoned off the main entrances to al-Aqsa, denying Muslims the right to perform their religious prayers.
Member of the Awqaf (Endowment) Department Firas al-Dabs said two groups comprising over 50 settlers stormed the plazas of al-Aqsa under a tight security shield.
The settlers listened to presentations on the history of the alleged temple mount and took snapshots near the Dome of the Rock. They also carried out provocative dances on their way out of the Mosque via the Silsila Gate. According to Q-Press Center over 20 specially-trained agents escorted the settlers all the way through the break-in while six Israeli intelligence officers have been deployed across the al-Aqsa plazas.
The Israeli occupation forces seized the IDs of the Muslim worshipers at the al-Aqsa Gates and searched their personal belongings. The mass break-ins coincide with the celebration of the Jewish Passover holiday and the calls increasingly launched by fanatic Israeli groups to step up assaults on al-Aqsa place of worship from Sunday to Thursday.
Over 800 Israeli fanatics stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday in a sacrilegious move that has fanned the flames of the ongoing tension rocking Occupied Jerusalem city. Israeli Judaization schemes and aggressions on the al-Aqsa Mosque—the third holiest site in Islam—and the peaceful Muslim congregations led to the outbreak of the anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada (Uprising) that started in early October.
Reporting from Occupied Jerusalem, a PIC news correspondent said the occupation police have cracked down on the Muslim worshipers and cordoned off the main entrances to al-Aqsa, denying Muslims the right to perform their religious prayers.
Member of the Awqaf (Endowment) Department Firas al-Dabs said two groups comprising over 50 settlers stormed the plazas of al-Aqsa under a tight security shield.
The settlers listened to presentations on the history of the alleged temple mount and took snapshots near the Dome of the Rock. They also carried out provocative dances on their way out of the Mosque via the Silsila Gate. According to Q-Press Center over 20 specially-trained agents escorted the settlers all the way through the break-in while six Israeli intelligence officers have been deployed across the al-Aqsa plazas.
The Israeli occupation forces seized the IDs of the Muslim worshipers at the al-Aqsa Gates and searched their personal belongings. The mass break-ins coincide with the celebration of the Jewish Passover holiday and the calls increasingly launched by fanatic Israeli groups to step up assaults on al-Aqsa place of worship from Sunday to Thursday.
Over 800 Israeli fanatics stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday in a sacrilegious move that has fanned the flames of the ongoing tension rocking Occupied Jerusalem city. Israeli Judaization schemes and aggressions on the al-Aqsa Mosque—the third holiest site in Islam—and the peaceful Muslim congregations led to the outbreak of the anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada (Uprising) that started in early October.
The Palestinian expert in the affairs of Occupied Jerusalem and settlement Jamal Amer warned of the Israeli police legitimization of settlers’ incursion into the Aqsa Mosque in large numbers during the Passover Jewish holiday under the protection of Israeli police.
Amer told the PIC reporter that the Israeli police approved a request made by settlers in this regard. Meanwhile, settlers were called on to storm the Muslims’ holy site with an unprecedented intensity.
Amer pointed out that Israeli police facilitate the incursion processes for 25 Israeli organizations in order to establish the alleged Temple of Solomon over the Aqsa.
He said that the Passover this year witnesses the biggest storming campaign because the Israeli magistrate court endorsed last year the settlers’ demand for entering the Aqsa and performing Talmudic rituals at the holy site.
Amer told the PIC reporter that the Israeli police approved a request made by settlers in this regard. Meanwhile, settlers were called on to storm the Muslims’ holy site with an unprecedented intensity.
Amer pointed out that Israeli police facilitate the incursion processes for 25 Israeli organizations in order to establish the alleged Temple of Solomon over the Aqsa.
He said that the Passover this year witnesses the biggest storming campaign because the Israeli magistrate court endorsed last year the settlers’ demand for entering the Aqsa and performing Talmudic rituals at the holy site.
The tension surrounding the holy al-Aqsa Mosque will only be soothed if the Israeli occupation of Palestine is over, Head of the Islamic Movement in 1948 Occupied Palestine, Sheikh Raed Salah, said Sunday.
Speaking in a press statement, Sheikh Salah said the simmering tension rocking Occupied Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque can only be relieved if the Israeli occupation is removed.
“The Israeli crimes against al-Aqsa have been ongoing,” Sheikh Salah said, warning of Israeli sacrilegious schemes at al-Aqsa to celebrate the Passover. “What is going on at al-Aqsa makes part of an Israeli plan of spatio-temporal division pending the construction of the alleged temple mount on the ruins of the Dome of the Rock,” he warned.
“Israel has been imposing its sovereignty over al-Aqsa by force at the same time as hundreds of Palestinians have been subjected to arbitrary abductions and banned from the site,” Sheikh Salah added.
A horde of 158 Israeli fanatic settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday in an attempt to perform sacrilegious rituals, sparking tension at and around the site. The Israeli occupation police banned three Palestinian youngsters from al-Aqsa as they voiced their protest at the settler break-ins.
Speaking in a press statement, Sheikh Salah said the simmering tension rocking Occupied Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque can only be relieved if the Israeli occupation is removed.
“The Israeli crimes against al-Aqsa have been ongoing,” Sheikh Salah said, warning of Israeli sacrilegious schemes at al-Aqsa to celebrate the Passover. “What is going on at al-Aqsa makes part of an Israeli plan of spatio-temporal division pending the construction of the alleged temple mount on the ruins of the Dome of the Rock,” he warned.
“Israel has been imposing its sovereignty over al-Aqsa by force at the same time as hundreds of Palestinians have been subjected to arbitrary abductions and banned from the site,” Sheikh Salah added.
A horde of 158 Israeli fanatic settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday in an attempt to perform sacrilegious rituals, sparking tension at and around the site. The Israeli occupation police banned three Palestinian youngsters from al-Aqsa as they voiced their protest at the settler break-ins.
24 apr 2016
The Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) decided to close al-Haram al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city to Muslims on Monday and Tuesday while it will be open only for settlers at the pretext of the Passover Jewish holiday.
The manager of the Mosque Hefthi Abu Snaineh, told Quds Press that the Palestinian Awqaf refused the Israeli resolution, and expected thousands of Jews would storm the Muslims’ holy site after calls had been made urging settlers to celebrate the Passover holiday inside the Mosque.
The IOA deliberately close the Ibrahimi Mosque during Jewish holidays based on resolutions of Shamgar Commission which was formed after the Israeli massacre in the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994. Other resolutions were made including dividing the mosque temporally and closing it to Muslims for certain periods.
The manager of the Mosque Hefthi Abu Snaineh, told Quds Press that the Palestinian Awqaf refused the Israeli resolution, and expected thousands of Jews would storm the Muslims’ holy site after calls had been made urging settlers to celebrate the Passover holiday inside the Mosque.
The IOA deliberately close the Ibrahimi Mosque during Jewish holidays based on resolutions of Shamgar Commission which was formed after the Israeli massacre in the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994. Other resolutions were made including dividing the mosque temporally and closing it to Muslims for certain periods.
Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib, deputy leader of the Islamic Movement in 1948 Occupied Palestine, said the Israeli incursions into the plazas of the Aqsa Mosque during the Passover Jewish holiday are conducted under political and security cover by the Israeli government and its military institution.
Sheikh Khatib told Quds Press that there is a coalition among extreme Jewish associations and societies responsible for arranging conjoined incursions into the Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the coalition which consists of eight members of his government’s ministers, he highlighted.
Khatib said that Netanyahu’s statements against UNESCO regarding its resolution which recognizes Muslims’ rights in the Aqsa Mosque and al-Buraq wall aim at creating an Israeli public opinion paving the way for an aggressive behavior at the Muslims’ holy site.
Sheikh Khatib told Quds Press that there is a coalition among extreme Jewish associations and societies responsible for arranging conjoined incursions into the Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the coalition which consists of eight members of his government’s ministers, he highlighted.
Khatib said that Netanyahu’s statements against UNESCO regarding its resolution which recognizes Muslims’ rights in the Aqsa Mosque and al-Buraq wall aim at creating an Israeli public opinion paving the way for an aggressive behavior at the Muslims’ holy site.
Verbal clashes erupt after Muslim worshipers shout insults at Jewish visitors, while 7 Jews removed from the holy site on suspicion they prayed.
Hundreds of Police and Border Police reinforcements have been deployed to Jerusalem to secure the city during the Jewish festival of Passover as hundreds of Jews are expected to go up on the Temple Mount on Sunday.
Jews will be allowed to enter the Temple Mount complex in groups from the early morning hours until 11:30am.
Security forces are on high alert in light of Palestinian incitement claiming Israel is trying to change the status quo on the Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism and third holiest in Islam.
Verbal clashes erupted between Muslims and Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount on Sunday morning when Muslim worshipers shouted insults at the Jews.
In addition, seven Jewish visitors have so far been detained and removed from the area on the suspicion they were praying, in violations of the rules of the holy site that allows Jewish visits, but not worship.
Right-wing Temple Mount acivist Yehuda Glick, who survived an assassination attempt in October 2014, was among the Jews who visited the Temple Mount on Sunday. "The security forces are making an effort to ensure everything goes well," Glick said.
"Police have preemptively arrested Arab rioters who were planning to disrupt (Jewish visits) and create tensions. We mustn't allow terrorism to dictate what we do. I have confidence that the security forces will thwart any attack attempt or any attempt at violence. The Temple Mount is a center for peace, not a center for war. It is appropriate that anyone who speaks of unity and peace should visit the Temple Mount. Those who have a different agenda should not come here," he continued.
In addition to the Old City, police officers have been stationed in crowded areas and shopping centers. The regular security deployment to Jerusalem and its surroundings has been expanded and security on major roads into the capital has also been increased. Meanwhile, several major roads in the capital will be closed off to vehicles Sunday-Wednesday from 7am to 8pm due to expected traffic.
Police forces had run-ins with Jewish groups on their way to the Temple Mount during the holiday itself as well. These groups planned to go on the Temple Mount with animals to make the Passover sacrifice as part of an event organized by the right-wing Return to the Mount movement.
Hundreds of Police and Border Police reinforcements have been deployed to Jerusalem to secure the city during the Jewish festival of Passover as hundreds of Jews are expected to go up on the Temple Mount on Sunday.
Jews will be allowed to enter the Temple Mount complex in groups from the early morning hours until 11:30am.
Security forces are on high alert in light of Palestinian incitement claiming Israel is trying to change the status quo on the Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism and third holiest in Islam.
Verbal clashes erupted between Muslims and Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount on Sunday morning when Muslim worshipers shouted insults at the Jews.
In addition, seven Jewish visitors have so far been detained and removed from the area on the suspicion they were praying, in violations of the rules of the holy site that allows Jewish visits, but not worship.
Right-wing Temple Mount acivist Yehuda Glick, who survived an assassination attempt in October 2014, was among the Jews who visited the Temple Mount on Sunday. "The security forces are making an effort to ensure everything goes well," Glick said.
"Police have preemptively arrested Arab rioters who were planning to disrupt (Jewish visits) and create tensions. We mustn't allow terrorism to dictate what we do. I have confidence that the security forces will thwart any attack attempt or any attempt at violence. The Temple Mount is a center for peace, not a center for war. It is appropriate that anyone who speaks of unity and peace should visit the Temple Mount. Those who have a different agenda should not come here," he continued.
In addition to the Old City, police officers have been stationed in crowded areas and shopping centers. The regular security deployment to Jerusalem and its surroundings has been expanded and security on major roads into the capital has also been increased. Meanwhile, several major roads in the capital will be closed off to vehicles Sunday-Wednesday from 7am to 8pm due to expected traffic.
Police forces had run-ins with Jewish groups on their way to the Temple Mount during the holiday itself as well. These groups planned to go on the Temple Mount with animals to make the Passover sacrifice as part of an event organized by the right-wing Return to the Mount movement.