Israeli Forces Condemned for Brutal Raid of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli police brutally attacked Palestinians contained in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday night time, injuring at the least a dozen peaceable worshipers and arresting greater than 400 through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“Dozens of closely armed officers stormed the positioning, used stun grenades, and fired tear fuel into the Qibli prayer corridor — the constructing with the silver dome — the place a whole bunch of males, ladies, aged folks, and youngsters have been staying in a single day to hope,” Center East Eye reported. “Some eyewitnesses mentioned rubber-coated metal bullets have been additionally fired.”

“Israeli officers then beat worshipers with batons and riot weapons, wounding many, earlier than arresting them,” the outlet famous. “Movies from contained in the mosque confirmed Israeli officers repeatedly hitting folks with batons whereas they appeared to lie on the ground. In the meantime, the cries for assist from ladies and youngsters may very well be heard within the background.”

The violent raid “continued into the morning when Israeli forces have been as soon as once more seen assaulting and pushing Palestinians out of the compound and stopping them from praying–earlier than Israelis have been allowed in underneath police safety,” Al Jazeera reported. “Not less than 400 Palestinians have been arrested on Wednesday and stay in Israeli custody… at a police station in Atarot.”

Bakr Owais, a 24-year-old pupil who was detained, advised the outlet: “The military broke the higher home windows of the mosque and started throwing stun grenades at us… They made us lay on the bottom and so they handcuffed us one after the other and took us all out. They saved swearing at us throughout this time. It was very barbaric.”

The Palestinian Fee of Detainees’ Affairs estimates that between 400 and 500 males have been taken into custody.

In response to Center East Eye: “The Palestine Crimson Crescent Society (PRCS) mentioned it obtained a number of stories of accidents at Al-Aqsa Mosque however was unable to estimate the variety of casualties as Israeli forces blocked medics from reaching the wounded. One medic was attacked by an Israeli police officer and wounded exterior one of many mosque’s gates.”

Al Jazeera reported that at the least 12 Palestinians have suffered accidents — together with bruises, fractures, and respiratory issues attributable to tear fuel inhalation — by the hands of Israeli cops. Not less than three of the victims have been transported to a hospital.

“As we method Passover — a celebration of freedom — the Israeli navy is thrashing Palestinians inside Al-Aqsa Mosque… The contradiction speaks volumes.”

The Israeli crackdown, which one observer described as a premeditated assault meant “to ship a message to the Palestinians that Israel is the only real sovereign over Al-Aqsa that may resolve who can enter the positioning and when,” was broadly condemned.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh denounced the most recent assault on Islam’s third holiest website as “an unprecedented crime” and urged Palestinians “to go en masse to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to defend it.”

Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that “what occurred in Jerusalem is a serious crime in opposition to the worshipers.”

“Prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque is just not with the permission of the [Israeli] occupation, however moderately it’s our proper,” mentioned Shtayyeh. “Al-Aqsa is for the Palestinians and for all Arabs and Muslims, and the raiding of it’s a spark of revolution in opposition to the occupation.”

PA presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh added that “what the occupation is doing proper now at holy websites similar to in Al-Aqsa, and the attacking of worshipers is an instance of the relentless struggle in opposition to Palestinian folks and Arab nations, which can ignite fires throughout the area.”

Following the raid, “native mosques round Jerusalem referred to as on folks by speaker telephones to rally in help of these assaulted,” Center East Eye reported. “Confrontations between residents and police broke out in a number of places throughout the town.”

The outlet continued:

Within the occupied West Financial institution, a whole bunch of Palestinians took to the streets to sentence the assault and confront Israeli troops at checkpoints and military posts. Rallies additionally befell in Gaza, Umm al-Fahm (a Palestinian city in Israel), and the Jordanian capital Amman.

Rockets have been later fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. Not less than one rocket landed contained in the nation and induced injury to a meals manufacturing unit, in line with Israeli media.

This was adopted by air strikes from the Israeli navy concentrating on a number of places within the besieged strip. No casualties have been recorded from both facet.

The ultimate two weeks of Ramadan overlap with Passover — a weeklong Jewish vacation that begins Wednesday — sparking fears of extra violence in and across the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In response to Center East Eye: “Israeli authorities have been eradicating worshippers from Al-Aqsa Mosque each night time for the reason that begin of Ramadan after the Taraweeh prayer ends round 9:00 pm native time, albeit with out this widespread use of violence. They’ve additionally been limiting who can enter the positioning and when, in what Palestinians say is an infringement on their freedom of spiritual observe. Itikaf at Al-Aqsa Mosque is just not allowed by Israeli authorities exterior of the final ten days of Ramadan, a ban that Palestinians refuse to adjust to.”

“Israeli forces often empty the mosque of Palestinians exterior the 5 Muslim prayers, particularly in a single day and after daybreak prayer to make sure a clean incursion of Israeli settlers which takes place each day round 7:30 am native time,” the outlet famous. “Temple Motion teams, which facilitate the settler incursions and advocate for the destruction of Al-Aqsa, have referred to as for mass stormings all through the week… They’ve additionally referred to as for conducting ritual animal slaughter on the website which may set off anger from Palestinians and Muslims worldwide. Palestinian teams have urged mass presence on the website this week to stop the deliberate animal slaughter and mass incursions.”

“Israel has murdered over 90 Palestinians, together with at the least 17 youngsters, to date this 12 months, and it is just April.”

On Tuesday night time, Jewish Voice for Peace tweeted: “As we method Passover — a celebration of freedom — the Israeli navy is thrashing Palestinians inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and blockading Palestinian cities throughout the occupied West Financial institution. The contradiction speaks volumes. Liberation can’t come at the price of one other folks’s freedom.”

Alluding to latest protests in opposition to a far-right takeover of Israel’s judiciary, Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal equally argued that “there can’t be a motion for an unique liberal democracy for Jews, and apartheid for Palestinians.”

Quite a few human rights teams world wide have condemned Israel as an apartheid state and referred to as on america to stop offering $3.8 billion in annual navy help to the anti-democratic regime.

According to the Palestinian nationwide committee of the worldwide Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) motion, “Israel has murdered over 90 Palestinians, together with at the least 17 youngsters, to date this 12 months, and it is just April.”

“The BDS motion calls significantly on our brothers and sisters within the Arab world and on supporters in international locations that reject diplomatic relations with Israel to accentuate stress in opposition to normalization of any relations with apartheid,” the committee continued. “What ties with Israel normalize is unmasked Islamophobia, colonial violence, and apartheid brutality.”

“Globally we name for stress on states to impose an instantaneous navy embargo and lawful focused sanctions on apartheid,” it added. “We name on our supporters worldwide to escalate all BDS campaigns! The time is now to finish Israeli apartheid.”

As Haaretz reported: “Jordan and Egypt, each concerned in latest U.S.-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements condemning the incident. Saudi Arabia additionally condemned the Israeli police’s actions, with its international ministry placing out a press release saying it undermines peace efforts.”

Arab League Secretary-Common Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in the meantime, said in a press release that “the extremist approaches that management the coverage of the Israeli authorities will result in widespread confrontations with the Palestinians if they don’t seem to be put to an finish.”

Officers from Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine have referred to as for an emergency assembly of the League within the wake of Israel’s newest assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

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