Israel Desecrates Islam’s Third Holiest Site for the Third Day
by Stephen Lendman
Israel uses any pretext to brutalize Palestinians. On Tuesday, elite special forces and police stormed ruthlessly through the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the third consecutive day, attacking Muslim worshipers, injuring dozens.
Palestinian Red Crescent Society Jerusalem office head, Amin Abu Ghazala said at least 26 victims needed medical treatment - for wounds, bruises and/or tear gas inhalation. Palestinian Jerusalem Affairs Department head Suleiman Ahmad said at least three dozen were hurt - including from Israeli sniper fire from rooftops.
Maan News reported heavily-armed Israeli forces “tread on the carpets with their military boots until they reached Saladin’s Minbar (pulpit)” - showing contempt for an important Muslim holy site.
They cleared the way for dozens of extremist settlers to enter the compound where they don’t belong. Throughout three days of violence, the world community remained silent - other than duplicitously calling on both sides to show restraint, doing nothing to intervene responsibly, letting Israel continue its longstanding reign of terror against defenseless Palestinian men, women and children.
Witnesses called three days of its rampaging “a destructive earthquake.” Murabitoun Al-Aqsa worshiper movement head Yousef Mukhaimar said Israeli soldiers and police “prohibited (Palestinians) from entering the Mosque to pray, while Israeli settlers are allowed (in to) roam around freely under police protection.”
“Wide areas of the mosque carpeting have been burnt as a result of the Israeli police firing bombs, bullets and tear gas canisters inside the mosque compound.”
“Netanyahu’s strategy is fulfilling his promises to his right-wing and extremist supporters to eventually demolish Al-Aqsa and build their alleged temple in its place.”
Mourabitoun member Aziz al-Abasi said “(t)he bigger problem here is that the Israelis are trying to establish a precedent by dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque compound into sections and time segments, so they can give Israeli settlers access to our mosque. We will never agree to such plan because it is obvious that the Israelis are trying to take it over piecemeal.”
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) issued a statement condemning Israeli disrespect for Islam’s third holiest site, its brutality and willfully causing damage - including burning carpets, smashing windows and artifacts.
It said international community silence encourages continued Israeli criminality. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called Israel’s “escalation on the Temple Mount…a declaration of war.”
He called for international community intervention “before the situation explodes.” Most regional leaders remain silent, ignoring long-suffering Palestinians. Jordan and Saudi Arabia issued meaningless duplicitous critical statements, doing nothing to support them.
The New York Times gave three days of Israeli rampaging through Al-Aqsa short shrift - what little it reported was thinly veiled propaganda, ignoring Israel’s use of elite special forces against defenseless Palestinians, citing a police lie claiming they responded to Palestinian-instigated violence.
Separately, The Times claimed Palestinian rock-throwing caused a Monday Israeli car crash fatality, despite no evidence proving it - citing a police report expressing doubt about its own accusation.
In September 2000, a provocative Ariel Sharon Al-Aqsa visit sparked the second Intifada. Another may be just a matter of time, perhaps giving Israel a chance to massacre more Palestinians than earlier.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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