[ 21/07/2010 - 10:47 AM ]
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Danny Danon, the deputy speaker of the Israeli parliament (the Knesset), went on a desecration tour of the holy Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday escorted by dozens of armed policemen.
Angry Palestinians in the Mosque chanted slogans against the visit during the one-hour tour of Danon, who told reporters that he was "visiting" the holy site on the occasion of the approaching anniversary of the alleged destruction of the temple on 9th August.
Asked by reporters whether his visit might lead to escalating tensions, he said that he did not perceive any provocation in the visit, adding that it was meant to inquire about security preparations in the site and to demand greater freedom for Jews to offer rituals inside it.
Palestinian MP and head of the Quds committee in the Palestinian legislative council Dr. Ahmed Abu Halabia denounced the desecration visit, adding that it proved official Israeli backing for desecration tours of the holy site.
Abu Halabia in a press release on Wednesday pointed to the serious declaration by Danon that Jews should be allowed freedom of offering rituals within the holy Islamic compound.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr. Yousef Salame, the preacher of the Aqsa Mosque, lashed out the Israeli step of allowing more than 90 Jewish fanatics to storm the Aqsa plazas on Tuesday morning.
He charged in a press statement that the Israeli occupation authority was trying to change the features of the Aqsa Mosque and to forge history, pointing to the recent revealed scheme of major changes in the Buraq plaza.
Jewish extremists raid Aqsa Mosque and prevent entry of worshipers
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Tensions ran high in occupied Jerusalem after a group of Jewish extremists raided the Aqsa Mosque Tuesday morning.
Head of the Aqsa Mosque’s manuscripts department Najeh Bukirat said in a press statement that three groups including dozens of Jewish extremists raided the Aqsa Mosque from the Maghareba Gate under heavy protection by Israeli police.
"The extremists are now roaming the mosque’s courtyards to mark the anniversary of what they call ‘the destruction of the temple’, in preparation for a bigger gathering tomorrow to mark this anniversary in practice of their religious ceremonies,” Bukirat said.
He noted that Israeli authorities have since morning closed Aqsa’s doors and allowed entry to only Jewish extremists, pointing out that a state of tension prevails outside the walls of the mosque.
He added that some Jerusalemites have been assembling, but there have been no confrontations up until now.
In similar developments, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine condemned Israel’s decision to seize properties of missing Jerusalemites, stressing that it is a racist move aimed at Judaizing the city and tightening control over it.
The Jihad movement said in a press statement that Israel’s decision “aims at tightening full control over occupied Jerusalem though confiscation of large tracts of land, real estate, and old buildings in favor of new settlement projects.”
The Israeli government announced its commitment to the so-called “absentee property law”, which allows for Israeli authorities to seize properties left by Palestinian owners who fled the country during the 1948 war.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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