Jerusalem, new attack in the night: the raid is a pretext to take possession of the Temple Mount. Analyses
L’assault by theIsraeli army in Al-Aqsa mosque it marks a new point of no return in the incurable Arab-Israeli conflict. A year ago, always these days, in the heart of Tel Avivthe tensions triggered by the mutual inability to find a point of agreement and lasting balance culminated in theattack on the Ilka Bar (click here to retrieve the article). Since then, despite attempts to curb the escalation of violence, not least the summit held in Aqaba on 26 February between Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and the United States, nothing has changed.
Unanimous condemnation of the Arab and Muslim world. The Jordanian government – whose royal family is guardian of the sacred places in Jerusalem – together with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry consider it a very serious “violation of all international laws and customs”. Even the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyehstigmatized the actions of the Israeli police, stating that “what is happening in Jerusalem is a serious crime against the faithful” adding that “Israel does not want to learn from history, that al-Aqsa is a holy place for Palestinians and for all Arabs and Muslims, and that the raid has unleashed a reaction against the occupation.”
The convergence of Passover with the holy month of Ramadan could lead one to believe that this was the spark that made the powder explode. However, a question arises: what powders would have ignited the faithful gathered in prayer in the Al-Aqsa mosque during Tarawih on Wednesday evening?
You can see them in the videos circulating on the web Israeli soldiers dragging and ferociously beating the faithful to take them out of the mosque. Eyewitnesses told CNN that “the police broke down doors and windows to enter the mosque and once inside he deployed stun grenades and rubber bullets.” For his part Israeli police said the raid was necessary after “hundreds of rioters and mosque desecrators barricaded themselves insidearmed with stones, sticks and fireworks”.
Anyone who has been to Jerusalem knows how impressive is the control that the Israeli army exercises over all accesses to the esplanade of the mosques. And just as well he knows that the entrance of non-Muslim visitors is allowed only at two times of the day, a few hours in the morning and in the afternoon, both away from the moments reserved for daily prayers. And everyone is checked. So how could these self-styled robbers of mosques enter, armed with rods, stones and firecrackers? And for what purpose were they supposed to barricade themselves in the mosque? To attack each other? Not to mention that during Ramadan it is expected that one will refrain from drinking, eatinghaving sex, lying, smoking, using bad language and, above all, from making war.
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