Condemnations pour in as Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
The storming of the al-Aqsa Mosque has sparked condemnation and warnings of regional escalation.
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Israeli far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, center, flanked by his security detail, prepares to storm the al-Aqsa Mosque complex, al-Quds, occupied Palestine, Aug. 13, 2024 (AP)
Condemnations poured in against "Israel" after over 2,000 settlers stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals inside the sacred Islamic site, in a provocative move led by far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
In a statement published on X, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry declared that Ben-Gvir's actions constitute "a blatant violation of the historic and legal status quo" of the holy site, calling on "Israel" to prevent such provocations by the far-right minister and reiterating that Muslim worship remains the sole permitted religious practice at the compound, which houses both the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia released its own condemnation of the provocative actions perpetrated by "Israel", stating that "the Saudi Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the repeated provocative actions by officials of the Israeli occupation government against the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque, warning that such practices escalate tensions across the region."
Saudi Arabia reiterated its call for the international community to intervene and halt the Israeli occupation authorities' unlawful actions, which violate international norms and undermine regional peace efforts.
Palestinian Authority condemns al-Aqsa raids, Israeli settler violence
On his part, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for President Mahmoud Abbas, stated that the persistent settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, along with the inflammatory raids on the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, constitute a dangerous escalation that extends "Israel's" genocidal policies and deliberate starvation tactics currently targeting Palestinians in Gaza.
Abu Rudeineh's statement followed the fatal shooting of a Palestinian youth and wounding of seven others by armed settlers in Aqraba village near Nablus on Saturday night, coupled with renewed extremist incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque's courtyards.
The spokesperson placed full responsibility on the Israeli occupation for the repercussions of these terrorist attacks while demanding the US administration take immediate and urgent action to halt "Israel's" sustained aggression.
Abu Rudeineh stressed that sustainable peace requires recognizing Palestinians' rights to freedom, independence, and a sovereign state, citing increasing global recognition of Palestine as proof of international consensus for ending the war and establishing a permanent ceasefire. He emphasized that adhering to international legitimacy remains the sole path to achieving lasting regional and global stability.
Meanwhile, the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches in Occupied Palestine has warned of the dangerous repercussions of the ongoing violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque's sacred courtyards and called for immediate international protection of the holy site.
Segregation of al-Aqsa started today: Al-Quds governorate
In a similar vein, the al-Quds governorate warned that today's unprecedented mass intrusions and coordinated violations of al-Aqsa Mosque's sanctity mark a dangerous turning point in "Israel's" continued aggression, demonstrating the open implementation of the spatial division policy that Palestinian, Islamic, and Arab institutions have consistently warned against.
The governorate's statement added that the extremist settler horde's massive invasion of the al-Aqsa Mosque this Sunday morning, led by radical minister Ben-Gvir and far-right Knesset member Halevi, represents a dangerous escalation against the Palestinian people and Islamic holy sites while deliberately provoking Muslim sentiments worldwide through this desecration of Islam's third holiest site.
"Today's events aren't just another invasion, but represent a critical phase in the Israeli scheme to forcibly impose Jewish sovereignty over the al-Aqsa Mosque and enforce spatial division between Muslims and settlers, following years of the occupation authorities progressively enforcing temporal division at the holy site," the statement added.
The al-Quds Governorate condemned this unprecedented escalation as a declaration of religious war against Islamic and Christian holy sites in al-Quds, warning that these provocations could ignite a regional inferno extending far beyond Palestine's borders.
The governorate held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for this dangerous escalation that risks triggering open religious warfare.
It urgently called on the international community, particularly the UN, OIC, and Arab League, to immediately fulfill their obligations by halting this criminal aggression and enforcing international protection for Islamic holy sites in al-Quds.
The statement further demanded that influential regional and global powers intervene decisively to stop this Judaization scheme threatening world peace.
'Israel' trying to Judaize al-Aqsa: Hamas
Hamas stated that the settlers' mass intrusions into the al-Aqsa Mosque, their provocative tours while waving occupation flags and banners depicting their so-called Temple with the phrase "God's Global House" in Arabic... these actions conducted after forcibly emptying the mosque of worshippers, imposing a tight siege, and enforcing military restrictions across the Old City, along with the repeated timing of these incursions to coincide with Jewish holidays, will ultimately fail in their attempts to Judaize the holy site, impose new realities, or erase its Arab-Islamic identity.
Hamas condemned the extremist Zionist government's ongoing crimes, genocidal war, and starvation tactics in Gaza, military and settler violence in the West Bank, and systematic violations in al-Quds and the al-Aqsa Mosque, warning these actions are fueling regional escalation.
The group warned that "Israel's" escalating aggression in Gaza, the West Bank, and al-Aqsa threatens global stability, demanding international action to hold it accountable.
It called on Arab and Muslim states to protect Palestine's holy sites from Judaization while vowing continued resistance until Palestinian liberation with al-Quds as its capital, asserting all occupation schemes to change al-Quds' status will fail.
Ben-Gvir's actions endanger al-Aqsa: Palestinian Mujahideen Movement
For its part, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement strongly condemned the Arab and Islamic silence regarding the Israeli violations of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the latest of which was the Israeli settlers' storming of the mosque.
It highlighted that Ben-Gvir's actions, along with Israeli settlers' actions, demonstrate the danger posed to the holy Islamic site under the far-right Israeli government, as the entity moves on with its plans to Judaize the mosque and erase its Islamic identity.
It called on the Arab and Islamic world to take a stance against the Israeli violations, in defense of al-Aqsa and for the brutal crimes "Israel" is conducting in Gaza, in addition to pressuring international organizations to pressure the occupation to put a stop to these actions.
Other Palestinian Factions condemn al-Aqsa raids
The Popular Front published a statement describing the settlers' actions, led by Ben-Gvir, as "pouring fire onto an explosive barrel", coinciding with unprecedented genocide in Gaza and ongoing assaults in the West Bank. It noted these actions represent a clear manifestation of the fascist racist ideology embraced by "Israel" and called for all forms of resistance including armed resistance.
Additionally, the Palestinian Resistance Committees characterized the mobs of Israeli settlers breaking into al-Aqsa as a message to the entire Islamic world that the only language "Israel" understands is confrontation and resistance. It condemned Arab silence as an enabler of the occupation's actions not only in al-Quds but also in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad stated that the Israeli incursions into al-Aqsa are a deep insult to Muslims all around the globe, with "Israel" asserting its command over al-Aqsa as a prelude to ultimately demolishing it. The PIJ called on the Islamic world to stand againt the Israeli tyranny which will inevitably expand beyond Palestine towards the entire Muslim Ummah and its territories.