Israel’s decision to ban Palestinian Muslims from praying in
al-Aqsa Mosque in
the old city of Jerusalem on Friday, in the wake of an
earlier shooting attack had outraged the Palestinians, who called for large
protests, demonstrations, and rallies.
Various
Palestinian factions, mainly President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party, Islamic Jihad
and Islamic Hamas movement warned Israel of closing al-Aqsa Mosque in the face
of thousands of Palestinian prayers who arrived in east Jerusalem for Friday
prayers.
Osama
al-Qaqasmeh, Fatah spokesman in the West Bank said in an emailed press statement that closing al-Aqsa Mosque and preventing prayers from reaching it
for Friday prayers “is a dangerous condemned and rejected escalation.” He called
on the Palestinians to head to al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent closing it.
Israel
closed al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city in east Jerusalem on Friday after three
Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli police force in the old city,
where the exchange of fire between the two sides expanded to the yard of
mosque. The three were killed and three policemen were injured, two
critically.
Islamic
Hamas movement’s spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem said in an emailed press statement that his movement welcomes and hails the shooting attack in
Jerusalem, adding “the operation (attack) is evidence that our people and
its political trends are ready to sacrifice their blood for the same of al-Aqsa
Mosque.”
“(Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s decision to close al-Aqsa Mosque in face of thousands of prayers and preventing them from Friday prayers in the
mosque shows that he (Netanyahu) is blundering and every Israeli action against
al-Aqsa Mosque will be strongly confronted.”
Following
the attack in the old city, the Israeli police shut down the gates that lead to
al-Aqsa Mosque and prevented the Palestinians from entering into the yard of
the mosque. Tens of thousands gathered in the streets that lead to the old
city, and protested the closure of their mosque.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas spoke on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on the phone and expressed his condemnation to the shooting attack in
the only city of Jerusalem.
The
Palestinian state-run news agency (WAFA) reported that Abbas expressed to
Netanyahu his extreme rejection and condemnation to the attack that was carried
out at al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of Jerusalem.
“President
Abbas expressed to Netanyahu the complete rejection to any violent action, no
matter who carried it out, mainly in places that are used for worship,” said
(WAFA) report.
The report also said that President Abbas asked Netanyahu to cancel all the Israeli
measures are taken to close al-Aqsa Mosque before tens of thousands of Muslim
prayers on Friday.
Abbas
warned that the Israeli measures “may lead to negative consequences and might
be used by other groups to change the religious and historic position of
the holy places.
Meanwhile,
the less-influential Islamic Jihad in Gaza said in an emailed press statement
that it welcomes “the heroic attack in Jerusalem that was a natural response to
the Israeli measures in Jerusalem.” However, the group warned Israel of closing
al-Aqsa Mosque and it said, “it will forcibly." confront the measure
The
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and other minor
Palestinian factions welcomed the shooting attack in Jerusalem and condemned
the closure of al-Aqsa Mosque before Muslim worshippers during Friday prayers.
(WAFA) news agency report said that Abbas made a series of phone calls with Jordanian,
Arab and international officials urging them to pressure on Israel to cancel
the Israeli measures of closing al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers.
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