Dozens injured, eight arrested in Al-Aqsa clashes

Published today (updated) 27/09/2009 13:37

Jerusalem – Ma’an –

At least 26 people were injured and eight arrested as fierce clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday.

Three of the 17 wounded Palestinians sustained serious eye and head injuries, sources said.

Israeli occupation government police said nine officers were also hurt.

Clashes erupted after groups of Israelis entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday morning, reportedly under the guard of Israeli police. Palestinians threw stones, chairs, and shoes at the Israelis, while police injured 17 Palestinians during attempts to forcefully disperse them with batons and stun grenades.

On Thursday, the Al-Aqsa Foundation warned that Israeli police were planning to permit settlers entrance to the area. Officials in East Jerusalem predicted that the break-in would occur on Sunday under the pretext of marking Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement.

Fierce clashes erupted outside the compound near Majlis Gate, one of the main entrances to the mosque, after police prevented Palestinian worshippers from entering the area, according to witnesses.

Hundreds of Jerusalemites and Palestinians living inside Israel hurried to the Mosque compound when word of the clashes spread, but Israeli police closed all entrances in what they said was an effort to contain the fighting. Demonstrators gathered outside the main gates, chanting and denouncing the occupation and alleged assaults against holy places and residents in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Israeli police prevented Islamic notables such as Shaikh Ekrima Sabri, chief of the Islamic Supreme Committee and grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, from accessing Al-Aqsa.

Also denied access was Hatim Abdul Qader, former PA minister of Jerusalem affairs and current Fat'h representative on Jerusalem. Israeli police produced an order preventing Abdul-Qadir from accessing Al-Aqsa until further notice, under the pretext that he urged demonstrators to gather at the compound to counter settler groups attempting to break into the mosque area.

Al-Aqsa sits atop of the third holiest Islamic shrine, known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Israeli occupation army handed nominal control of the area to the Waqf in 1967, but the Mosque has periodically come under attack by extremists since then. The most notable assault was in 1969, when a Christian Zionist from Australia set it ablaze in an attempt to herald the second coming of Christ.

Muslims believe it was the location where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven during his Night Journey, Al-Aqsa is also the third holiest site in Islam. The compound, with the golden Dome of the Rock, is moreover a focal point of Palestinian national pride.

Hamas calls for new uprising in response to Al-Aqsa clashes

Published today 13:50 Gaza – Ma’an –

The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, urged Palestinians throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel to take to the streets and begin a new uprising against the Israeli occupation government in reaction to clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Sunday.

In his call for protests, senior Hamas leader Muhammad Abu Askar in Gaza also called on Arabs and Muslims throughout the world to take action to defend Al-Aasa Mosque.

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said the Israeli “attack” on Al-Aqsa Mosque was an attempt to escalate the situation. “The Israeli occupation (government) is not interested in calm,” he said holding Israel accountable for the repercussions of this escalation.

For his part, Islamic Jihad leader Khalid Al-Batsh said, “The Israeli assault is part of a central Israeli decision to escalate in the whole region. This escalation might reach neighboring Arab countries.”

Al-Batsh also called on the Palestinian Authority to suspend all contact with the Israeli government in protest. He also called upon Arab and Islamic countries to stick to their responsibilities in defending Al-Aqsa. Furthermore, he called Palestinian rivals to close ranks and end the current state of political infighting.

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) called on the Palestinian people to organize demonstrations supporting Islamic holy sites and emphasizing that resistance is the best option to confront Israeli occupation.

The group said its military wing, “Al-Nasser Salahuddin Brigades would not stay with its hands folded towards atrocities committed by Israeli settlers and Israeli forces.”