- Palestine
- October 6, 2009
- 3 minutes read
Israeli police threaten to use force to quell Palestinians inside Aqsa Mosque
Palestinian local sources said that the Israeli police at a late hour Monday demanded Palestinian worshipers holdin a vigil inside the Aqsa Mosque over loudspeakers to leave it within 15 minutes or else they would be forced out.
The sources said that a large number of Israeli troops and policemen surrounded the Mosque as a prelude to storming it.
The Palestinian worshipers contacted local radios and told them they prefer martyrdom in defense of the Aqsa Mosque to surrendering to the Israeli police.
In a later development, the Israeli police started to interfere with the communications inside the Mosque to prevent the besieged Palestinians inside from conveying the truth of Israeli attacks to the media.
Earlier in the evening, Israeli troops tried to kidnap one of the Palestinian worshipers who got wounded during clashes with them, but the worshipers succeeded in transferring him into the Mosque, while medical crews are still not allowed to get near the Mosque to evacuate the wounded.
Other clashes reportedly broke out on the same day in Al-Amud gate, Shu’fat refugee camp, the neighborhoods of Attur, Sawanah and Ras Al-Amud as well as Qalandia checkpoint which resulted in the injury of five Palestinians and the kidnapping of two others.
In the morning, Israeli troops closed the Arab neighborhoods near the Aqsa Mosque and prevented Palestinians from going to the Aqsa Mosque to perform their daily prayers.
The Israeli police, for its part, declared they would intensify the presence of troops on Tuesday throughout the occupied city of Jerusalem to enable Jewish settlers to celebrate their week-long holiday of Sukkot.
In a related context, first deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council Dr. Ahmed Bahar held on Monday the Arab leaders religiously, historically and politically responsible for the Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem.
“Jerusalem is not only for the Palestinians, but for the Arab and Muslim nations, so they have to rise to defend the Aqsa Mosque with their souls and blood until it is liberated,” Bahar emphasized during the special session held on Monday in Gaza city.