Violent confrontations occurred between Palestinian citizens and the Israeli police after they later stormed the Temple Mount in occupied East Jerusalem, in the midst of the holy month of Ramadan.

 Edited by| Tony Wild

Politic   section -  CJ journalist

Jerusalem – April,5,2023

      Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is the first of the two Qibla and the third of the Two Holy Mosques. Jews call the site the "Temple Mount" and consider it their holiest religious place.

These confrontations came as Jews prepare to celebrate the Jewish Passover holiday starting Wednesday and in an atmosphere of growing tension between Israelis and Palestinians since the beginning of this year

The Palestinians refuse Jews to enter the Temple Mount and pray there and consider this step, which they call an "intrusion", a provocation to them.

Israeli forces control the entrances to the site, which is managed by Jordan's Islamic Waqf Department.

Israeli internal security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the police for their" quick and decisive action", accusing worshippers expelled by the police from the mosque of their intention to"harm policemen, kill them and harm Israeli citizens".

Activists circulated on social networking sites scenes showing Israeli army elements assaulting worshippers in the tribal Chapel of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Israeli police announced that they had arrested "more than 350 people" during violent clashes that occurred earlier between its elements and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

"The Israeli police stopped more than 350 people who had barricaded themselves violently on the Temple Mount," the name Jews give to the temple mount, a police statement said.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, condemned the move, which it described as an "unprecedented crime," and Ismail Haniyeh, head of the movement's political bureau, called at dawn on Wednesday for Palestinians to head to Jerusalem to "protect" the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

For his part, Ziad Al-Nakhala, secretary general of the Islamic Jihad Movement, considered that "what is happening in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque poses a serious threat to our holy places, warning that the Palestinian people "must be present with all its components for the inevitable confrontation in the coming days".

The Palestinian presidency also warned " the Israeli occupation not to cross the red lines in the holy places, "noting that this will lead to a" big explosion, " as reported in a statement broadcast by the official news agency Wafa.

      The Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, said that the "brutality" in the "attack on worshippers" calls for" Palestinian, Arab and international action and putting everyone in front of his responsibilities to protect the holy sites and worshippers from the oppression of the occupation".

Reactions followed condemning the Storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli police forces, assaulting worshippers, and arresting a number of them.

The Arab League has warned of a" spiral of violence that threatens stability in the region and the world", expressing its rejection of"attempts to change the historical and legal status quo in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and divide it temporally and spatially".

In a statement after the emergency meeting at the level of permanent delegates at its headquarters in Cairo, it condemned "the attempt to control the administration of the Jordanian Islamic endowments in Occupied Jerusalem and the attack on its employees and prevent them from exercising their work".

She stressed that these attacks "threaten to ignite a spiral of violence that threatens security and stability in the region and the world".

The Egyptian Ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement:

"The Arab Republic of Egypt condemned in the strongest terms in a statement issued by the Ministry of foreign affairs at dawn on Wednesday, April 5, The Storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli police, and the accompanying blatant attacks that led to numerous injuries among worshippers and detainees, including women, in violation of all international laws and norms.

She continued in her statement:

"Egypt considered that such hateful and reprehensible scenes, and the repeated Israeli violations of the sanctity of holy places, inflame the feelings of anger and anger among all the Palestinian people, Muslim peoples and people of conscience around the world, calling on the Israeli authorities to immediately stop those attacks that terrorize worshippers who have taken the House of God as a safe residence during the holy month of Ramadan.

Egypt held Israel, the occupying power, responsible for this dangerous escalation, which would undermine the efforts of calm in which Egypt is engaged with its regional and international partners, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibility in putting an end to these aggressions and sparing the region from further factors of instability and tension," he said.

The White House expressed "grave concern" about the violence on the Temple Mount and"urged all parties to avoid further escalation," and White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said:

"More than ever, Israelis and Palestinians should work together to reduce these tensions and restore calm.

"Everyone who has an impact on the situation has a responsibility not to pour more oil on the fire and do everything possible to calm the situation, "German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christopher Burger said at a press conference.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his country is deeply concerned about the "fiery rhetoric" issued by the Israeli government and the violent events at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and called for a de-escalation of the situation.

"We need to see a shift in the approach of the Israeli government, and Canada, as a dear, intimate, and steadfast friend of Israel, says it is deeply concerned about the approach taken by the Israeli government," he told reporters.

For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his "shock" and"amazement" at the level of violence used by Israeli security forces against Palestinian worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said:

"The secretary-general is shocked and stunned by the scenes he saw this morning of violence and beatings by Israeli security forces inside the tribal mosque in Jerusalem, which took place at a sacred time for both Jews, Christians, and Muslims, a period that should be for peace and non-violence.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned" the incursion of the Israeli occupation police to storm the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif and attack it and those present in it, "in what it considered a"flagrant violation and a condemned and rejected behavior".

In a statement, it called on Israel to immediately remove the police and special forces from the Holy Temple Mount, Warning of "this dangerous escalation".

For its part, Iran condemned the "brutal attack of the Zionist regime ... Which shows the world once again the criminal nature of this regime with regard to human rights".

The kingdom of Morocco strongly condemned the Storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces and the assault and intimidation of worshippers during the month of Ramadan.

"These brutal criminal practices represent a blatant encroachment on holy places and a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms," the Algerian presidency said in a statement.

Global reactions are still continuing to denounce the brutality of the Israeli forces in dealing with Palestinian worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

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