Occupied Palestine: Al-Ahed Team
As the ‘Israeli’ occupation regime intensifies its apartheid measures restricting access to al-Aqsa Holy Mosque, Palestinian voices stressed that their first option ever will remain escalation against this cruel entity, adding that the enemy will pay a heavy price for this.
Following heroic Palestinian resistance operations against the occupation army soldiers, the enemy tended to impose new so-called ‘security’ measures which included the installation of metal detectors and cameras.
It was last Friday that a heroic operation carried out by Palestinian youngsters in the Old City of occupied al-Quds martyred three Palestinians, killing at least two ‘Israeli’ occupation soldiers and wounding several others, the last incident before such restrictions were imposed.
Nevertheless, scores of Palestinian worshipers held prayers outside the compound, neglecting the ‘Israeli’ will to deprive them from performing their religious duties in such a sacred site.
Seeking official stances regarding the ongoing tensions, al-Ahed team in Palestine managed to conduct several interviews with Palestinian figures:
In this regard, the head of the “al-Morabiteen in al-Quds” group Yousef Mukhaimer stressed the invalidity of the fait accompli recently imposed by the authorities of the Zionist enemy in the al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings.
Mukhaimer confirmed that this new reality did not, and will not provide the occupation any legitimacy or eligibility within the Muslims’ first Qibla [destination].
“What has been happening since last Friday, from terrorizing worshipers, preventing residents from reaching the mosque, and then installing electronic gates at the main entrances under security pretexts is entirely unacceptable and must be addressed at various levels,” Mukhaimer told al-Ahed’s correspondent.
He warned that this invasive attack is not a coincidence but rather the implementation of preplanned schemes.
“We are looking very seriously at the direct targeting of the al-Morabiteen who have formed – and continue to be – the line of defense of the honorable city from the occupation’s ambitions and its settler groups, who are pursuing the construction of the so-called Temple,” Mukhaimer said.
He explained that the main aim of what is happening now is to enable the advocates of the Temple and other extremist Zionist groups to widely desecrate the al-Aqsa Mosque after they have emptied it of its Muslim worshipers in full view of the nation which has not acted until this moment despite the looming dangers threatening the mosque and its identity.
“The situation has reached its lowest point. Denying access to the Aqsa Mosque is no longer confined to the people of the Gaza Strip or some areas of the West Bank, but today it includes all those who are outside the borders of the holy city,” Mukhaimer adds.
He stressed that the people of al-Quds with all their religious components and locations have taken it upon themselves to confront the attempts to enable the western settlers to tamper with “our sanctities and toy with our sentiments, no matter the challenges and costs.”
Mukhaimer concluded by saying: “Our message today to the people of the nation throughout the globe is that al-Quds and the Aqsa is not the property of the Palestinians. Protecting the sites is a collective responsibility no one is excluded from, both on the official and popular level.”
Additionally, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Kayed al-Ghoul, called on local forces and factions to use the current “opportunity” and work on framing any upcoming resistance action within a comprehensive uprising against the Zionist occupier and its Judaization projects.
“I believe that what is happening could trigger a new intifada,” al-Ghoul told al-Ahed. “Therefore the political authorities are required to prepare for the aftermath and provide the organizational pillars and other elements to ensure the continuation of this intifada as an effective method of struggle in confronting the occupation’s and its settlers’ roistering”.
Al-Ghoul expressed no “doubt [that] al-Quds always represents a spark for the Palestinian uprisings.”
“Therefore, the recent aggressive ‘Israeli’ actions are an explosion factor in what lies in the hearts of the masses of our people, who have a large reservoir of anger towards the occupation’s expansionist and racist policy,” he added.
“In order to be able to deal with this policy, we need to unify the Palestinian position in resisting these measures. In this period, we also need to focus on strengthening the steadfastness of our people in al-Quds, who are threatened by the danger of mass displacement in the coming period.”
The “Popular Front” leader also pointed to the “need to bring back the liberal nature of the struggle of the Palestinian people so that it will be an open and comprehensive conflict with the occupation throughout the country.”
Al-Ghoul called on the Arab people to defend the al-Quds cause, support the struggle of the Palestinian people and press their regimes that brag about the al-Quds cause through satellite channels without lifting a finger over the growing Zionist violations.
Earlier on Tuesday, Palestinian military wings of various political factions in the besieged Gaza Strip warned the apartheid “Israeli” entity of continuing its restrictive policies at al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East al-Quds during a press conference.
Warning that “Israel’s” aggression on al-Aqsa represents a “spark that will explode in the region,” they further stressed that “the expense of attacking al-Aqsa will be very big in which neither the occupation army nor its settlers would be able tolerate.”
“We will have our strong and supreme word if Zionist plans against al-Aqsa continue,” the groups had warned in the press conference. “We will not allow our enemy to invade our al-Aqsa, our holy sites, and our people in al-Quds.”
Al-Ahed News
