It’s an important week for both religions: Easter has begun for Jews and the holy month of Ramadan continues for Muslims, in a space sacred to both faiths and at the heart of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
Two new rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel this Wednesday night, April 5th. A launch that took place as local Palestinian media reported that Israeli soldiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and “violently attacked Palestinian worshipers, beating them with clubs and throwing flashbangs, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel projectiles in an attempt to evict them from the holy site.” “.
In addition to the six injured, Israel announced the arrest of more than 350 people entrenched in the third highest Islam, whom the Jewish state government has labeled “rioters.”
Report from Jerusalem: Almost 400 arrests after violent attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque
It is the second violent episode at the holy and iconic mosque in less than 24 hours and the first escalation since the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
At the time of the clash at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said about 20,000 worshipers were praying at the evening service planned for the holy month.
Israel Police argued that among the worshipers were “masked criminals” who threw firecrackers and stones at the mosque to disrupt order. They claimed they were trying to “desecrate the temple.”
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his social media, Israeli security forces “were forced to restore order after the authorities’ failed attempts to negotiate and the extremists refused to allow devout Muslims into the mosque, even threatening to hold midday prayers today. He also justified his arguments with a video.
“Israel is working to maintain the status quo and calm the spirits on the Temple Mount. Muslim worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque testify that Muslim extremists holed up inside the mosque, imprisoning them there and preventing other Muslims from coming to the mosque to pray. They barricaded themselves in the mosque with guns, stones and firecrackers,” the Israeli Prime Minister wrote.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located on the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem, the Israeli-occupied and annexed Palestinian sector of the Holy City. The Esplanade was built on the Temple Mount, which is considered by the Jews to be their second holiest site.
International condemnation rises
The rejection of violent episodes was not long in coming. UN chief António Guterres said he was “shocked and appalled” by the “violence and beatings” by the Israeli security forces.
For its part, the White House said it was “extremely concerned” and urged “all parties to avoid further escalation.”
Palestinian Authority President Nabil Abu Roudeina’s spokesman ruled that the new Israeli “attack” on Al-Aqsa Mosque “reflects the Israeli government’s desire to plunge the region into instability.” While the Jordanian government claimed to be alarmed by the “continued attacks that could lead to an escalation”.
“The trampling on the Al-Aqsa Mosque is our red line,” denounced Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
For its part, the Arab League, which organized an extraordinary meeting, warned that the provocations “hurt the feelings of believers.”
The conflict between the Jewish settlers and the Palestinians or Israeli Arabs, as well as the project of Israeli raids in the occupied territories, have reportedly left 92 dead Palestinians and at least 15 on the Israeli side so far in 2023, according to reports collected by the EFE news agency.
With AP, EFE and Portal.