Occupied Jerusalem – Last August was no different from previous months in terms of the escalating violations in the Holy City, especially with regard to the serious violation of the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque, the continuation of demolition crimes, and the use of administrative detention, deportation, and house arrest.
During the past month, three young men were martyred, one of them at the tunnel checkpoint south of Jerusalem. The young man was from the Deheishe refugee camp and held a West Bank ID. His body and the body of the young man, Shadi Sheha, who was executed in the town of Anata, were seized.
Meanwhile, citizens were able to bury the third martyr who was killed in the Wadi Rahhal area in Bethlehem after being shot by an Israeli soldier during a settlers’ attack on the area.
Violation of Al-Aqsa
The most notable developments in August were recorded in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, whose courtyards witnessed serious violations, most of which occurred on the anniversary of the “destruction of the Temple” and after it, as extremist groups began to sing that what is happening is “a dramatic historical turning point that the holy place has not witnessed for at least a thousand years.”
Among the developments documented by Tel Aviv Tribune Net prior to this anniversary was the organization of a conference by the Temple groups, in cooperation with the occupation municipality, “to encourage the rebuilding of the Temple in place of Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The conference was held in a hall called “Solomon’s Temple” west of the Old City.
Soldiers from the Alexandroni Brigade stormed the mosque courtyards in their military uniforms after returning from the battles in the Gaza Strip. Extremist groups organized a tour for Jewish children in Al-Aqsa, and at the end of it, distributed gifts to them with pictures of the Temple printed on them.
As part of the provocations, a group of rabbis took a group photo of themselves in front of the Dome of the Rock at the end of their storming tour, and one of them was wearing the biblical prayer shawl that Jews wear during their prayers in synagogues.
Temple group activity
Leaders and supporters of extremist Temple groups have been active in encouraging settlers to storm Al-Aqsa ahead of the anniversary of the “Temple Destruction” anniversary. Among them is Asaf Fried, who wrote: “Are you afraid that the Arabs will cause chaos? It is important to know that the Temple Mount is the quietest place this year, and in any case the police are greatly over-stretching their forces on the Temple Mount on August 9th. Are you afraid of an Iranian attack? The Temple Mount is the safest place, and if an Iranian missile hits the Dome of the Rock, you probably won’t be too sorry.”
On the two nights preceding the anniversary, night marches were held in which Israeli flags were raised to demand sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque. On the anniversary, 2,958 extremists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning and evening, raising Israeli flags during their tours, performing the “epic prostration” (prostrating on the ground) as a group, singing, dancing and praying. Among them was National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
After storming the Temple Mount, extremist groups hailed the freedom of Jewish worship inside the first of the two qiblas. One of the Temple Mount activists, journalist Arnon Segal, said, “Since August 9, Jews have been praying on the Temple Mount freely and without being arrested.”
In an article published on August 30, he wrote, “Ben Gvir is currently succeeding where Rabbi Goren (the first rabbi to pray and blow the shofar inside Al-Aqsa) failed. The Jewish worship that has swept the Temple Mount since the ninth of Av (the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple) is a dramatic historical turning point that the holy place has not witnessed for at least a thousand years.”
The violations culminated in a government decision issued by the Ministry of Heritage, headed by Amichai Eliyahu, that the settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa and the settlers’ guided tours inside it will be funded by the ministry with a budget of 550 thousand US dollars.
Pursuing worshipers
While 7,704 extremists stormed the mosque over the course of last August, the occupation police stationed at the gates restricted the worshipers coming to the mosque, and 33 orders to deport them from Al-Aqsa Mosque were issued over the course of the month, with the mosque’s preacher, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, at the head of those deported.
In terms of violations of freedoms, Tel Aviv Tribune Net monitored 110 cases of arrest in the Jerusalem Governorate, including 10 women and 6 minors. The occupation courts issued 21 administrative detention orders last August, including new orders or extensions of this sentence against prisoners from the Jerusalem Governorate.
In the context of demolition, 49 demolitions were carried out in the Jerusalem Governorate, including 10 forced self-demolitions. The largest demolition operations were concentrated in the town of At-Tur, where 16 facilities were demolished within hours, while 8 demolitions were carried out during the month of August in the neighborhoods of the town of Silwan, adjacent to Al-Aqsa, where settlers also seized a building belonging to the Shahada family consisting of 5 residential apartments in the “Batn Al-Hawa” neighborhood, claiming that it was owned by Jews before 1948.