On Wednesday, two Palestinians were arrested after attempting to carry out a stabbing attack against a police officer on the Temple Mount. The suspects are both teenage residents of east Jerusalem and are being investigated by Israel Police. Israeli security forces closed the doors to the Temple Mount for about an hour after the arrests, according to Palestinian media. Worshipers were unable to leave or enter the compound.
Israeli occupation forces arrested 2 Palestinian young men in the courtyards of Al Aqsa mosque compound pic.twitter.com/PeHwcB9mPC— Shehab Agency (@ShehabAgencyEn) January 29, 2020
During the announcement of the "Deal of the Century" peace plan, Trump accidentally called Al-Aqsa the "Al-Aqua Mosque," spurring a stream of jokes on social media.During protests in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Wednesday, several Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas, according to Palestinian media. Incendiary balloons, similar to those launched from the Gaza Strip, were launched from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya for the first time on Wednesday, according to Palestinian media. Multiple rock throwing attacks were reported throughout the West Bank, with some vehicles being damaged.
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) January 28, 2020
The IDF continued to send reinforcements to the West Bank and the border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, in preparation for a possible escalation after the announcement of the peace plan.
Tensions have been high on the Temple Mount during Friday prayers in the past few weeks, with a number of sporadic clashes and arrests at the site.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration released its Middle East peace plan, which would leave much of Jerusalem in Israeli territory, including the Old City and the Temple Mount complex. The peace plan would, however, continue the current status quo on the mount, with Jordan continuing its custodianship over the site.
Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, called the announcement of the deal an "official American-Israeli withdrawal from the Oslo Accords," in an interview with Army Radio.
Erekat said that Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem will “solely always be under the custodianship of His Majesty King Abdullah II,” according to the Jordan News Agency.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that if the deal is embraced by Israel, "the PA will consider itself free to break any and all agreements signed with Israel, including security coordination between the two sides."
Officials from the Fatah Party stated that it would begin coordinating an emergency plan with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) for field operations in order to stop Israeli annexations, which could lead to a large escalation of violence in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Fatah officials stated that Abbas had rejected messages from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Egypt and Saudi Arabia warning against escalating the situation, according to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA).
Palestinian sources told Walla News that the situation depends on the IDF's response to Palestinian protests. Injuries and deaths could lead to an escalation by the Palestinians.
Even though Palestinian officials have continued to publish threats against Israel and existing agreements between the two entities, Abbas has instructed Palestinian security officials to continue security coordination with Israel and to prevent a direct confrontation with Israeli forces, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
Palestinian tradesmen refused to take part in a strike initiated by the Palestinian Authority, and parents of schoolchildren refused to allow their children to be involved in PA demonstrations, according to JCPA.
Palestinian security forces conducted widespread arrests on Wednesday in order to prevent violent outbursts amid demonstrations. According to Al-Akhbar, Palestinian security officials stopped youth from throwing stones during demonstrations in the West Bank.
"There is no doubt that the Palestinians are thinking about widespread national resistance," said Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi to Army Radio on Wednesday. "Yesterday it began and I believe that it will continue. When you tell a people that what it has is going to the occupier, usually the people rebel. I believe that it will come."
PIJ secretary-general Zayid Nakhalah called on Wednesday for Palestinian leaders to “be more aggressive and more willing to sacrifice to confront this conspiracy with all our strength. This plan, this conspiracy poses before us a great challenge that requires us to change our approach to dealing with everything. This is a different stage that requires different tools and thinking.”
Hamas MP Muhammad Abu Tir stated that residents of Jerusalem are ready to "defend Al-Aqsa," emphasizing a recent campaign encouraging increased attendance at the mosque's Friday prayers.
The Hamas terrorist group urged Palestinian factions to unify and abandon the option of negotiations with Israel. He called on the Palestinian people to "defend Jerusalem and face off [against] Israeli plans aimed at Judaizing the holy city."
Dr. Basem Naim, head of Hamas’s International Relations Office, tweeted last week that the release of the "Deal of the Century" means a "new Nakba (Catastrophe)" and will "trigger a new intifada." Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya stated that “all options are open” in the response to the deal, according to the Iranian Tasnim news agency.
On Monday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh expressed support for Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, after he was banned from entering the Temple Mount compound. Haniyeh stated that he would continue political efforts to fight off the "Deal of the Century" and "mobilize support to protect Jerusalem and its holy sites."
Sabri was barred from entering Al-Aqsa earlier this week. Supported by worshipers and lawyers, he came to the Temple Mount complex on Friday against the order preventing him from entering the site; he was eventually allowed to enter.
"We will not allow the occupation or anyone behind it to remain in [the land of Palestine]," said Hamas in a statement, stressing that the Jordan Valley and West Bank will be "cleansed of all settlements, such as Haifa, Jaffa and Acre" and that Jerusalem would remain Palestinian's "eternal capital."
Hamas has claimed that Israeli authorities have escalated the situation at al-Aqsa and have again tried to close the Gate of Mercy at the Temple Mount complex. A press release by the terrorist group stated that Israel has been “atrociously beating, arresting and threatening” Palestinian worshipers and has banned them from entering the complex. It noted that Jews continue to visit the complex and renovations are occurring along the southern wall of the mount, warning “against the consequences of these serious Israeli steps.”
Hamas and other Palestinian officials began calling for mass attendance at the Fajr dawn prayers at Al-Aqsa, the Ibrahimi Mosque and other sites in the West Bank and Gaza two weeks ago, leading to a high number of worshipers at Al-Aqsa over the past two weeks. After the prayers, Hamas stated that, "the message was clear: Al-Aqsa and the other holy sites are a REDLINE."
Palestinian WAFA news reported earlier this month that Azzam Khatib, director of the Waqf in Jerusalem, announced that 29,610 Jewish “fanatics” had "stormed" al-Aqsa Mosque throughout 2019.
“All signs and data indicate an escalation in the frequency of violations against the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings during this year through a series of unprecedented trespasses, which constitute an infringement on the historical and legal status of the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque as an Islamic mosque for Muslims alone under the patronage of King Abdullah II [of Jordan],” said Khatib.Former MK and Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick was seen on the mount on Thursday morning, according to Palestinian reports.
The Jerusalem Post revealed last month that Jewish visitors to the site have started praying, undisturbed by police forces. According to some of the visitors, as of the end of December, police officers continued to allow Jewish prayer on the mount.
Maariv Online contributed to this report.
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-braces-for-clashes-at-Al-Aqsa-on-Friday-as-tensions-rise-615929
2020-01-30 10:16:00Z
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