ISRAELI POLICEMAN INSULTS PROPHET MOHAMMAD PBUH AT JERUSALEM’S AL-AQSA
Al-Quds (Jerusalem), 5 Jumadil Akhir 1436/25 March 2015 (MINA) – A wrangle developed on Tuesday between Israeli police and Al-Aqsa Mosque’s guards, after an Israeli policeman verbally insulted Prophet Mohammad of Islam to provoke the guards of the Mosque, according to a local source.
The verbal confrontation took place shortly after a group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlers broke into the Mosque’s compound in Jerusalem’s Old City to perform religious rituals, provoking worshipers present at the site, an official from the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf told WAFA quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
The incident comes only a day after Israeli police entered the holy site and interrogated worshipers in a provocative manner about the purpose of their presence in the Mosque. Those being interrogated considered the action to be a blatant violation of their freedom of worship.
According to the Islamic Institute of Waqf and Heritage, 30 settlers roamed the yards of Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform religious rituals. The police also arrested a woman and her child upon leaving the Mosque under the pretext of “Hooliganism and Takbir (an Islamic phrase meaning God is great).
The number of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem who have been arrested since the beginning of 2015 exceeded 50, mostly women, reported the institute.
Jewish settlers’ entrance to the Islamic site is becoming almost a daily happening. While it is worldwide known as Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jews refer to the site as the “Temple Mount” and believe it was the site of two Jewish temples destroyed in ancient times.
The center of the conflict
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place for Muslims, has since 1967 been the center of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Despite the fact that the site is the location of al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, two of the most holy destinations for Muslims, hundreds of Jewish extremists regularly attempt to legalize prayer at the compound, a move that will “inevitably” trigger Palestinians, said Israeli police.
Settlers’ provocative visits to the holy site have given rise to mass protests in the holy city in recent months, during which hundreds of Palestinians were apprehended by Israeli police.
Israeli media reported that though the Supreme Court upholds Jews’ “theoretical” right to pray at the compound, it gives security services the green light to ban Jews from performing rituals should such action result in potential unrest.
Realizing the sensitivity of the site, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously vowed to maintain the status quo and that “Israel’s policy towards a ban on Jewish prayer… would not change”, a statement which came after Housing Minister Uri Ariel suggested that the Al-Aqsa Mosque could be replaced by a Jewish temple.”
Despite of the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and demolishing of Palestinian-owned homes, Israeli officials remain cautious when dealing with Al-Aqsa Mosque issue as they believe changing the status quo would lead to a third Palestinian intifada (uprising).
Palestinians worry that if Jewish visitors were allowed to pray in the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, it would eventually lead to a permanent change which will result in full Israeli control and ban on Muslims’ prayer, similar to the division of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Palestinians claim that their fear stems from ongoing Israeli policy which prevents Palestinians living in the West Bank from obtaining permits to enter Jerusalem to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque and many restrictions on Jerusalemites’ entrance to the holy Compound, including holding their identity cards until they leave the Mosque.
According to the Institute, in the first week of March around 200 settlers broke into Al-Aqsa compound with a total of 73 settlers entering the site on Wednesday.
The institute renewed calls on Palestinians from the sharp increase in settlers’ visits saying that they require a serious course of action by all Arabs and Muslims, before it is too late.
The site has been an epicenter of the prolonged Israeli-Arab conflict. It has witnessed recurrent clashes in recent years between Muslim worshipers and Israeli police, most frequently due to provocative visits by Jewish extremists who believe the mosque should be destroyed and replaced with a Jewish temple.
The most violent clashes were witnessed in the year 2000, when late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, long known for his far-right views, entered the holy site along with about 250 police officers, provoking what was then known as the Palestinian Intifada II. (T/R05/P3)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
