Shusha
Gold Member
- Dec 14, 2015
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Code Name: "The Awakening of the Gate of Mercy" - the most severe crisis since the metal detectors affair
The Jerusalem police arrested Sheikh Abd al-'Azim Salhab, chairman of the new Islamic Waqf council, and Sheikh Najah, the deputy head of the Waqf administration on the Temple Mount.
Last Friday, in a well-organized operation of the new Islamic Waqf Council, which was shared by Jordan and the PA, which was dubbed the "Awakening of the Gate of Mercy" (Al-Rahma Arabic), thousands of Muslim worshipers took over the Temple of Mercy on the Temple Mount, The Palestinian flag on its roof and held a mass prayer after it had been closed for the last 16 years.
According to a report on Al-Jazeera, the head of the new Waqf Council Sheikh Abd al-'Azim Salhab, Mufti Muhammad Hussein, Adnan al-Husseini, the minister of Jerusalem affairs in the PA, and Fatah chief Hatem Abd al-Qader physically led the thousands of worshipers to the Sha'ar HaRachamim Friday at the Temple Mount.
The Islamic Waqf Council began cleaning work at the Sha'ar HaRachamim compound after prayers and the council head Sheikh Salhab announced that the building would remain open to the worshipers and that the council would begin renovations to turn the building into a large prayer house.
According to Waqf officials, the decision was made at the first meeting Of the new council on February 14, the council members even visited the site and were impressed by what was happening on the ground. One of the reasons for the decision was that Israel should be preceded by a desire to build a synagogue there.
Israel preferred not to confront the thousands of worshipers. The Jerusalem Police evacuated the police station on the roof of the Sha'ar HaRachamim building last Thursday. Police held preventive arrests in East Jerusalem of about 60 activists on the Temple Mount, but the arrests did not prevent the takeover of the Gate of Mercy.
The Palestinians see the takeover of the Temple Gate as another important achievement, after the victory over the crisis of placing the magnumeters at the gates of the Temple Mount in July 2017. In the campaign for control of the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem ahead of the publication of President Trump's "Deal of the Century"
An editorial in the Jerusalem-based Al-Quds newspaper on February 23 defined the campaign on the Gate of Mercy as "another honorable chapter in Palestinian history of struggle and steadfastness."
The Palestinian takeover of the the Gate of Mercy structure is reminiscent of the takeover of the Temple Mount by the northern branch of the Islamic Movement headed by Sheikh Ra'ed Salah on the Temple Mount in 1996, which was renovated and turned into a large mosque. The Palestinian takeover of the Sha'ar HaRachamim building constitutes a change in the status quo that has existed on the Temple Mount in recent years, in a unilateral step coordinated between Jordan and the PA, contrary to Israel's position.
A new leadership for East Jerusalem residents
According to senior Fatah figures, one of the goals of the establishment of the new expanded Islamic Waqf Council, in cooperation with PA and Fatah representatives, was a direct lesson from the events of the crisis of placing magnumometers at the Temple Mount gates in July 2017. The Islamic Waqf representatives, The city without the involvement of the PA.
The closure of the Orient House building and the East Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce have created a vacuum over the past few years under the leadership of residents of East Jerusalem. Israel's ban on PA activity in East Jerusalem and the measures taken against Adnan Ghait, governor of the new Jerusalem district on behalf of the PA, increased the vacuum that the new Islamic Waqf Council, which enjoys the support of the royal palace in Jordan and the leadership of the PA, has now stepped in.
Hatem Abd al-Qader, a Fatah activist and a member of the new council, told Al-Agial radio station on February 23 that the new council has a new strategic plan to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem. It has many properties in the Old City and houses thousands of houses And it will also fight the phenomenon of home sales to Jews.
According to Fatah sources, the Israeli government will find it difficult to fight the new council, which is supported by Jordan and the PA, since according to an agreement Peace with Jordan Since 1994, the Jordanians have a special status of Custodian of the Holy Places in Jerusalem. However, the unilateral opening of the Gate of Mercy by force in violation of the court order without coordination with Israel constitutes a serious breach of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel and a breach of the agreement Oslo.
Strengthening the principle of "popular resistance" Senior Fatah officials view the Palestinian takeover of the Temple Mount Gate as another success of the popular resistance strategy advocated by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in recent years, namely, widespread popular activity against Israel without the use of firearms. The Islamic Waqf Council adopted the same method as the one used by the police on the Temple Mount in July 2017. It drove thousands of Muslim worshipers to the Gate of Mercy and took control of it, believing that the Jerusalem police would not dare confront them in the Temple Mount compound because of the international implications of such a move. Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian Initiative, said that the recent events "are proof of the strength of the popular resistance that must be strengthened and extended to all of Palestine." The Palestinians are now waiting to see the response of the Israeli government to their takeover of the Sha'ar HaRachamim compound, which is a serious blow to Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount. If Israel does not respond appropriately, this will be considered weakness and this has important implications for the continuation of the struggle for control over the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem President Trump's "Deal of the Century".
Jerusalem Center of Public and Strategic Affairs - "The Awakening of the Gate of Mercy"
Oh. There are SO many problems with this. I hardly know where to start.
I have no problem with Muslims accessing and sharing the Temple Mount. I believe this is in keeping with Jewish theology and G-d's Intent for the the Temple Mount area. (Of course, with some understandings, but...let's not complicate things here). It is also fully in accordance with Article 9 of the Jordan/Israel peace treaty.
That said, Israel has an absolute obligation to ensure the protection of places of historical and archaeological value. Further, Israel has an absolute obligation -- as sovereign -- to ensure the safety and protection of all citizens and visitors to the Holy Places, which includes the obligation to prevent access if necessary or to restrict or monitor access with security precautions.
The complicating factor is that Muslim insistence on exclusivity backed up with terrorism is working. It HAS made Israel act, or refuse to act, in entirely appropriate ways. It restricts Israel's action because of the fear of retaliation -- not just of locals, but of the wider Arab world.
What I would WANT Israel to do is to insist upon equality on the Temple Mount. Equality of access, equality of prayer, equality of worship, equality of space and buildings. And I would WANT Israel to continue to exert her sovereignty, yes in co-operation with Jordan. I want Israel to absolutely, conclusively and physically prevent unilateral actions by Muslims to control the space.
But would the cost be too great?