by Bassam Tawil
If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters -- not peaceful Jewish visitors -- are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque.
Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the "flag parade" absolutely does not include entry into any mosque.
Assurances by the Israeli authorities, however, have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews.
Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to "desecrate" al-Aqsa Mosque.
As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is supposedly a "provocation."
Hamas and several terror groups in the Gaza Strip, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also repeated the lie that "al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger."
When the terror groups talk about "resistance," they are referring to the need for terrorism against Israel, including firing rockets from the Gaza Strip, and attacks by stabbing, shooting and car-ramming.
"The people of Palestine have no historical rights to Palestine. They have no right that dates back 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 years. The right of the Canaanites to Palestine is equal to the pharaohs' right to Egypt. Is it conceivable that any Muslim in Egypt would say: 'I am Pharaonic and proud of it?' Well, it is the same if a Muslim in Palestine said, 'I am a Canaanite and proud of it.'
To hell with your Canaanite identity and to his Pharaonic identity. People, our history is simple and it is not ancient. It must not be said that the Palestinians have Canaanite roots. Our history dates back only 1,440 years.... The only thing you are allowed to say is: Oh Palestinians, you are Muslims." — Issam Amira, Palestinian Islamic scholar, al-Aqsa Mosque, April14, 2023
The revival of the "al-Aqsa is in danger" libel is part of an ongoing effort by Palestinians and other Muslims to delegitimize and eliminate Israel. Palestinian leaders and Muslim "scholars" spread lies about Israel and Jews to encourage and justify terrorism.
The real threat to the mosque and other holy sites in Jerusalem is posed those Palestinians and Muslims who use battle cries to incite violence, terrorism and Jew-hate.
Incomprehensibly, much of the international community, the media, and even prominent self-declared "human rights" organizations persist in defaming Israel and ignoring this fabricated, toxic incitement by Palestinian and Muslim leaders.
Palestinians are again repeating the lie that al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is in danger because the Jews are planning to "storm" and "desecrate" it.
Some Palestinians and Muslims have gone so far as to accuse the Jews of plotting to destroy the mosque. The latest campaign of lies and misinformation arrived as Jews, on May 18, were preparing to celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem by holding a flag parade in the city.
For days, the hashtag "al-Aqsa Mosque is in Danger" was trending on various social media platforms, evidently as part of a concerted campaign to smear Jews and rally Muslims against them.
The lie that Jews are planning to destroy the mosque is also not new.
For the past century, Palestinian leaders have used the lie that "al-Aqsa is in danger" to incite their people to attack Jews. Palestinian leaders, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, an ally of Hitler and Nazi collaborator, as well as former PLO leader Yasser Arafat, have denied the existence of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and accused Israel of planning attacks on the mosque.
According to Nadav Shragai, a veteran journalist and expert on Jerusalem:
"The archaeological digs that Israel has conducted over the years near the Temple Mount, far from the mosques, are a laudable scientific and cultural endeavor. Since liberating Jerusalem in 1967 from Jordanian occupation, Israel has protected religious sites of all faiths and ensured freedom of worship for all peoples."
The revival of the "al-Aqsa is in danger" libel is part of an ongoing effort by Palestinians and other Muslims to delegitimize and eliminate Israel. Palestinian leaders and Muslim "scholars" spread lies about Israel and Jews to encourage and justify terrorism.
Moreover, this libel is part of a longtime effort to deny Judaism's 3,000-year-long connection to the Temple Mount. The mosque is by no means under threat by Jews, who since 1967 have allowed Muslims to manage the affairs of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the authorities of the Islamic Waqf.
The real threat to the mosque and other holy sites in Jerusalem is posed by those Palestinians and Muslims who use battle cries to incite violence, terrorism and Jew-hate.
Incomprehensibly, much of the international community (here, here, here and here), the media (here, here and here), and even prominent self-declared "human rights" organizations (here, here and here) persist in defaming Israel and ignoring this fabricated, toxic incitement by Palestinian and Muslim leaders.
For the full article in pdf, please click here:
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Pictured: Israeli firefighters try to put out the flames of a tree that was set ablaze by Palestinian rioters on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on April 22, 2022 (Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)
Comments