Israel condemned for storming Al-Aqsa Mosque as Palestinians flock to honour Laylat Al-Qadr 10/5/2021 (See Translation in Arabic Section) After a night of Israeli violence, thousands of Palestinians flocked to Al-Aqsa Mosque to honour with prayers “Laylat Al-Qadr” (Night of Revelation). After they stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard, firing bullets, tear gas, and sound bombs towards worshippers, wounding over 200 people, Israeli forces deployed checkpoints in the streets of Jerusalem leading to the mosque preventing buses carrying Palestinians from the occupied territories to reach the city. The people of Jerusalem published videos showing Israeli forces preventing over 200 buses to continue, forcing passengers to walk. Hundreds of Jerusalem residents used their cars to transport Palestinians in an act of defiance while locals were in the streets, providing water and dates to those coming to Al-Aqsa and setting Iftar tables for them. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said they treated two injuries, one as a result of severe beating, at one of the mosque doors (Al-Asbat) and the other assaulted by settlers in Sheikh Jarrah; both were transferred to hospital. After a night of violence, the people of Jerusalem cleaned the courtyard of the mosque to receive thousands of worshippers who entered to perform dawn prayer. 
ARAB LEAGUE The Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmad Aboul Gheit, denounced the Israeli displacement of Sheikh Jarrah residents in East Jerusalem, calling on the international community to act. The Secretary-General said the measure violates the most basic of human rights and entrenches a system of apartheid in the occupied territories. Aboul Gheit described these policies as irresponsible which reflected internal conflicts and narrow partisan interests. He stressed it was the responsibility of the international community to exert pressure on Israel to prevent the forced displacement of Sheikh Jarrah's residents “before the situation descends into further escalation.” 
LEBANON REACTS Lebanon President General Michel Aoun, typed on his Twitter account: “On Jerusalem Day, Jerusalem bled again, and it will continue to bleed as long as the principle of force, displacement and deprivation of rights prevails, relying on international protection and breaking UN resolutions without deterrence or accountability. If peace is the goal, then let everyone, especially the international community, remember that there is no peace without justice, no justice without respect for rights.” In a statement, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates vigorously condemned “the Israeli attack against the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, where settlers are working to displace the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood under the eyes of the world, in a behaviour that does not differ from the practises of ethnic cleansing”. sound bombs, gas and rubber bullets, in a flagrant violation of human rights and international law. The ministry called on “the international community to take urgent and immediate action to deter the repeated assaults of the Israeli enemy against the brotherly Palestinian people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” stressing the need to confront continued Israeli intransigence and stop settlement and displacement activities in Jerusalem. Lebanon’s Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri condemned the Israeli action, saying it violated the sanctity of the cradle of Christ. 
KUWAITI REACTION Kuwait has also condemned the Israeli action, saying the storming was a flagrant challenge to the feelings of Muslims in the world, international law and the most basic human rights. A ministry spokeswoman explained that the Israeli actions endangered the Palestinian people and threaten an escalation of violence, and which requires rapid international action to end these provocations and preserve the rights and safety of the Palestinian people. The ministry said Kuwait held the Israeli authorities responsible for this dangerous escalation and its consequences. Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem called for an extraordinary session of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU) to discuss the “desecrations” in Jerusalem. 
JORDAN WARNING Jordan urged Israel to stop its “barbaric” attacks on worshippers at the Jerusalem's al Aqsa mosque and said it would step up international pressure. Jordan, which has custodianship of Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem, said Israel should respect worshippers and international law safeguarding Arab rights. “What the Israeli police and special forces are doing, from violations against the mosque to attacks on worshippers, is barbaric (behaviour) that is rejected and condemned,” the government said in a statement. King Abdullah said Israeli actions were an escalation and called on it to end its “dangerous provocations”. The monarch accused Israel of trying to change the demographic status of the holy city which contains sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the kingdom, which lost East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, would do its utmost to protect rights of Palestinians against Jewish settlers. “Israel's illegal actions have dangerous repercussions on the stability of the region,” Safadi said. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was safeguarding the right of worship and would not tolerate rioting in the compound that houses Al-Aqsa and is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. 
OIC MEETING The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) announced an emergency meeting on the permanent delegates' level to discuss the growing Israeli attacks on Al-Quds. Upon a Palestinian request, the emergency meeting will be held online due to the coronavirus, the OIC said in a statement. The meeting will discuss the assaults by Israel on Muslim and Christian sanctities. |
