Ramallah: The Israeli mayor of occupied Jerusalem conceded on Wednesday that the security situation in the holy city had deteriorated to an extent that the Israeli regime could not afford to change its status quo in favour of Jewish colonists that insist on accessing Muslim holy sites.
Nir Barkat, an ardent supporter of Israeli expansionism in the city, said on Wednesday at a conference in the southern city of Ashdod (Asdood) that security in Occupied Jerusalem has diminished and said the status quo on Al Haram Al Sharif must be maintained to limit tensions between Palestinians and Jews. “There is no doubt that personal security has eroded in the city of Jerusalem,” he said.
“We must preserve the status quo on [Al Haram Al Sharif],” he said. “I do not love it personally, but we are all obliged to it.”
Radical Israeli groups led by politicians have conducted repeated raids on the Al Haram Al Sharif, which houses Al Aqsa mosque and other Muslim holy sites, insisting on a right to pray there. While the site is also holy to Jews, they have traditionally prayed at Al Buraq Wall, known to them as the Wailing Wall. Palestinians fear that Israeli encroachment in the holy sites is aimed at taking full control of it. Extremist Israelis often call for the destruction of Al Asqa mosque to rebuild the Temple of Solomon, which they believe is buried beneath.
“The question here remains: will Israel stop the confrontations and suspend its policies in the occupied East Jerusalem and the holy sites?” asked Abdul Sattar Qasem, who heads the Political Science Department at Al Najah University in Nablus. “Israel will not give up on the eastern part of Jerusalem and the holy places, but will change its policies and stick to soft strategy only,” he told Gulf News.
Qasem said Israel had tried tough policies but had found such policies harm Israel and will therefore soon reveal a change in its policies.
“The Israeli project to take full control over Al Haram Al Sharif will never end. This is a fact that we cannot forget or abandon,” he argued.
“The rough attack against Al Haram Al Sharif will soften and take a new shape,” he stressed. “The use of full force has proved to be useless in the case of the occupied East Jerusalem.”
Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of the Higher Committee in Defense of Jerusalem, said that the Palestinian residents of the holy city are ready and will never hesitate to protect Al Haram Al Sharif.
“This is a fact of which Israel should be fully aware of,” he told Gulf News. “Al Haram Al Sharif is the Muslims’ biggest red line and regardless of the kind of Israeli policies and strategies, Jerusalemites will act now and in the future in support and defense of Al Haram Al Sharif.”
