All Palestinian Factions Call For Day Of Rage To Defend Al-Aqsa; Palestinian Authority Mufti: 'The Prayer Of Anyone Entering Al-Aqsa Mosque Via The Metal Detectors Is Null And Void'

Palestinian elements from all the organizations called for a day of rage for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa today, July 21, 2017. This call was in protest against the Israeli police's installation of metal detectors at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, following the July 14 shooting attack there that was carried out by three Israeli Arabs, all members of the Jabarin family, from Umm Al-Fahm.

Palestinian Authority (PA) clerics are heading the fight to have the metal detectors removed. They called on the Palestinian public to turn out en masse to pray at the entrance of the Al-Aqsa compound and to protest against the security measures taken by Israel. The PA mufti even stated that "the prayer of anyone entering Al-Aqsa mosque via the metal detectors is null and void."

PA officials warned of an escalation in the situation, and PA President Mahmoud 'Abbas placed the responsibility for "the future outcomes of the measures that Israel adopted in Jerusalem" on Israel. He asked Jared Kushner, top advisor to U.S. President Trump, to intervene urgently and to force Israel to back down from its measures at Al-Aqsa, including removing the metal detectors.

Fatah's Revolutionary Council, which is headed by 'Abbas, declared a day of rage today, and called for a mass turnout at Al-Aqsa and for demonstrations in the outskirts of Jerusalem that would march towards the city.

The calls for a day of rage also came from the other Palestinian factions, first and foremost Hamas. Hamas political bureau head Isma'il Haniya sent congratulations to the Jabarin family for the attack, and called on all Muslims to launch an intifada in all their cities to defend Al-Aqsa. Additionally, the Hamas spokesman said that the battle at Al-Aqsa is one link in the chain of jihad.

Similar calls for a day of rage were also heard from the head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, as well as from Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, the main spiritual leader of members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The following report will review statements on this topic: 

'Abbas: If Israel Does Not Backtrack, Matters May Get Out Of Hand

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas cut short his visit to China due to the tension on the issue of Al-Aqsa mosque. Today he is set to convene the Palestinian leadership for an urgent discussion on the issue. 'Abbas called White House advisor Jared Kushner and implored him "to intervene immediately and compel Israel to backtrack from its measures at Al-Aqsa mosque, including removing the metal detectors... The situation is most dangerous, and matters can get out of hand if Israel does not backtrack."

'Abbas placed the responsibility for "the future outcomes of the measures that Israel adopted in Jerusalem" on the Israeli government.[1]

PA Clerics Urge Muslims To Rally On Behalf Of Al-Aqsa; PA Mufti: The Prayer Of Anyone Entering The Al-Aqsa Mosque Via The Metal Detectors Is Null And Void

Senior PA clerics were at the head of the fight to remove the metal detectors at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa compound, and called on the public to rally on behalf of Al-Aqsa. PA and Jerusalem Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Hussein prohibited worshipers from passing through the metal detectors on the way to Al-Aqsa mosque. He said "the prayer of anyone entering the Al-Aqsa mosque via the metal detectors is null and void."[2]

PA Religion and Endowment Minister Yousef Ida'is said yesterday (July 20) at a mosque dedication ceremony in Qalqilya: "The continued damage to the holy places requires exceptional activity by the Muslim Arabs, because the attacks, the infringements, and the attempts to change the status quo have reached unprecedented severity given what is happening in Jerusalem. The holy places belong to the Muslims, and the Israeli attacks won't change a thing. The construction of mosques, and the [use of loudspeakers for] amplification of the muezzin's voice are a bone in the occupation's throat... Adhering to the land is a national, moral, and historical obligation. Our people will not forgo a particle of land from Palestine's soil. It our people who hold the right [to the land], while the occupation and the settlements are doomed to perdition."[3]

Mahmoud Al-Habbash, PA chief shari'a justice and religious affairs advisor to 'Abbas, said: "Responsibility for the Al-Aqsa mosque is the exclusive right of the Palestinians, and Israeli intervention in the affairs of Al-Aqsa constitutes aggression against the Muslims' religious and political rights." He called for going up to Al-Aqsa "in order to underline its religious and historic identity as one of the absolute Muslim rights that no party may rightfully dispute."[4]

Fatah Revolutionary Council Urges Arabs To Come To Al-Aqsa En Masse And For A Day Of Rage On Seamline Areas

At its meeting last night (July 20), the Fatah Revolutionary Council called on the Arabs to come en masse to Al-Aqsa and to hold demonstrations heading for Jerusalem from areas adjacent to the city. The council declared that it "is was attentively and seriously monitoring the aggressive developments by the occupation against Jerusalem in general and against Al-Aqsa mosque in particular [that are being manifested] by means of systematic measures by the Netanyahu government against our holy places and our residents in Jerusalem... Therefore, Friday [July 21] must be a day of arrival en masse and support for Al-Aqsa mosque by anyone who can do so, and a day of rage [directed] against the occupation in all the seamline areas...

"The council calls for holding demonstrations headed toward Jerusalem from the adjacent cities, villages, and refugee camps, and extends congratulations, commendation, and pride to our people in Jerusalem who guard Al-Aqsa mosque like the apple of their eye, together with all the Waqf employees, the murabitoun and murabitat...  A blessing to our people in the 1948 territories for their heroic national support."[5]

Senior PA Officials: The Situation May Escalate: Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Are A Red Line; Israel Is Trying To Harm Al-Aqsa Mosque And Pilfer Its Contents

Many senior officials in the PA condemned the Israeli measures and warned that things could escalate. Some argued that the measures were not due to security concerns but were politically-motivated, as part of Israel's intention to take control of Al-Aqsa.

Saeb 'Erekat, chairman of the PLO executive committee and of its negotiations department said: "The Israeli actions will have grave and destructive repercussions, not only for Palestine and Israel but also for the security and stability of the entire region."[6]

Deputy Fatah chairman Mahmoud Al-'Aloul said: "The measures at Al-Aqsa are unacceptable to all strata and factions of the Palestinian people. They lead to religious conflict and must be rescinded.'' He added that the situation in Jerusalem is deteriorating and that grave danger is emerging due to the measures Israel has taken at Al-Aqsa.[7]

General Intelligence chief Majid Faraj said: "There is no horizon and hope for peacemaking. The Netanyahu government is bent on liquidating any prospect for peace... It continues to carry out murder, invasions, and destruction." He added: "We have warned about any damage being done to Al-Aqsa... What is happening there is dangerous, and could escalate."[8]

Jerusalem district governor 'Adnan Al-Husseini said: "The occupation's installation of metal detectors and cameras is part of repeated attempts by Israel to take over Al-Aqsa for non-security related reasons."[9]

PLO executive committee member and PLO Jerusalem Affairs department head Ahmad Qurei warned about "dangerous repercussions from the unprecedented Israeli escalation at Al-Aqsa mosque." He argued: "The government of Israel and its executive branches are continuing to harm the Al-Aqsa mosque, pilfer its contents, and forcibly lay their hands on the mosque's entire noble compound."[10]

In a press release, Fatah Revolutionary Council member and movement spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmeh emphasized: "The Fatah movement will never allow the Israeli plan for emptying the Al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem's Old City of its original inhabitants, the Palestinian people, to pass... The leaders of the [Fatah] movement and its activists emphasize the [movement's] steadfast position that Jerusalem and its centerpiece, Al-Aqsa mosque, represent a red line in the fullest and deepest sense of the words, and that there will be no peace and stability unless Jerusalem is restored to its Palestinian owners."[11]

Fatah also posted on its social media posters calling for rising up for Al-Aqsa. One, posted July 19 on the Facebook page of Fatah's Boreen branch, read: "Rage Jerusalem – the Intifada will continue, the revolution will continue to Jerusalem." The message accompanying it read: "Rise up! You have nothing to lose but fetters and humiliation!"[12]

Poster on Fatah Boreen branch Facebook page. Facebook.com/fateh.boreen, July 19, 2017.

A poster posted  July 20 on the Fatah Facebook page invited readers, on behalf of the PLO factions in Nablus, to participate in Friday prayers today, July 21, to save Al-Aqsa. The prayers were to be held in Nablus city center.[13]

Invitation to Friday prayers on behalf of the PLO factions in Nablus. Facebook.com/officialfateh1965, July 20, 2017.

Fatah Central Committee Member 'Abbas Zaki: The U.S. Is The Head Of The Snake That Is Encouraging The Israeli Occupation; Demonstrate Across The Arab World

On his Facebook page, Fatah Central Committee member 'Abbas Zaki posted an "urgent call" to leaders across the Arab world to declare a general mobilization to save Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, by taking to the streets and expressing rage for and solidarity with the Palestinian people. He wrote:

"This very day, we must set out in great marches in your capital cities and in every Arab city, and demonstrate in front of the judicial and international institutions in your countries, in order to express your great cry against the head of the snake incarnate, the U.S., that has permitted the [shedding of] Arab blood in more than one Arab capital. It is [the U.S.] that stands forcefully and encourages the Israeli occupation to carry out more crimes against our Palestinian people. [You must] pressure your decision makers to appeal to the UN secretary general and to all the relevant UN agencies so that [they] will actively intervene and will stop what is happening in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa."[14]

Zaki's call posted on his Facebook page. Facebook.com337638652954832, July 19, 2017.

A post on the Facebook page titled "Alaroub Refugee Camp" showed a boy atop a metal detector urinating on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[15]

Facebook.com/aroub.camp/now, July 20, 2017.

Senior Hamas Officials: Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem Are A Red Line; Congratulations To Jabarin Family Martyrs From Umm Al-Fahm; The Battle At Al-Aqsa Is A Link In The Jihad Chain

In a television interview, Hamas political bureau head Isma'il Haniya said: "Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem are a red line... The occupation's plots will be carried out over our dead bodies... Congratulations to the martyrs from the Jabarin family of Umm Al-Fahm [who carried out the shooting attack near Al-Aqsa that preceded these events], who with the heritage of [their] heroic combat proved that there is national unity." He stated further: "I urge all members of the Islamic ummah to make Friday [July 21] into a turning point for Arab willpower, when the people will launch an intifada in every city to defend the first place of worship [Al-Aqsa], the place where the Prophet [Muhammad] ascended heavenward, and to emphasize that the enemy's plots will not be allowed to come to fruition at Al-Aqsa... The Zionist occupiers do not possess sovereignty and Jerusalem. The murabitoun at Al-Aqsa prove that sovereignty rests exclusively with Jerusalem's inhabitants and the Palestinian people.[16]

In an announcement on behalf of Hamas, movement spokesman Hazem Qasem said: "The battle by our enraged people, who stand at the front line at the gates of Al-Aqsa, is a link in the chain of our people's jihad against the occupation... This battle will have one result – victory for our people. The occupation will not succeed in altering reality. Al-Aqsa is a red line that our people and the resistance will not allow to be crossed... Our battle against the occupation will not end until we restore all our rights, which are the land, liberty, and the return of the Palestinian refugees. The public's day of rage on Friday [July 21] is a clear message that all the people's forces are behind our men who stand guard around Al-Aqsa."[17]

Cartoon by well-known Gaza-based cartoonist Omayya Joha on website of Hamas newspaper Al-Resala: "With Spirit And Blood We Will Redeem You, Al-Aqsa," Alresalah.ps, July 20, 2017.

Poster on Facebook page of the Gaza news agency Fajer: "Rage For Al-Aqsa." Facebook.com/Fajer4, July 21, 2017.

Poster on Facebook page of the Palestine Media news agency: "Arise and Resist." Facebook.com/603400856527259, July 21, 2017.

Image posted on Facebook by a Gaza resident: "#Rage For Al-Aqsa." Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100016211283084, July 21, 2017.

Senior Officials Of Northern Wing Of Islamic Movement In Israel: Al-Aqsa Is In Danger; Israel Is Using Chemicals That Will Cause Al-Aqsa's Foundations To Disintegrate

Sheikh Raed Alah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic movement in Israel, posted an article on the Arab-Israeli website Panet.co.il in which he wrote: "As long as Al-Aqsa mosque is occupied, it is in constant danger. This danger will pass only if the Israeli occupation is removed. This means that the Israeli occupation is the source of the danger threatening Al-Aqsa mosque.

"The excavations beneath Al-Aqsa mosque and in its vicinity, and the installation of the evil metal detectors there... are nothing but the result of the source of the danger menacing Al-Aqsa mosque – namely, the Israeli occupation... Therefore, in these days it is necessary to emphasize that Al-Aqsa mosque is endangered as long as it is occupied, and the attacks against it will intensify as long as it [remains] occupied..."[18]

Salah's deputy, Sheikh Kamal Khatib, told Al-Jazeera in an interview that in its excavations in the area of Al-Aqsa, Israel was using chemicals that would eventually cause the foundations of the mosque to disintegrate – and that in this way Israel could argue that such a collapse was from natural causes.[19]

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Urges Muslims To Come En Masse To Al-Aqsa: "The Jihad Will Continue"

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and a prominent religious leader for members of the Muslim Brotherhood and related movements as Hamas and the Islamic Movement in Israel, urged Arab Jerusalemites to come to Al-Aqsa en masse to pray at the point closest to the metal detectors.[20] He also tweeted numerous times on the subject; for example, on July 20, he tweeted: "I urge the entire global Muslim public to a great awakening, in order to send a message to the enemies of the [Muslim] ummah and its rulers: The peoples will never be satisfied with the disregard and neglect of the holy places."[21]

On July 16, 2017, he tweeted: "Standing at the battlefront and at the head of the jihad in the land of prophecies and the place where the Prophet arrived in the Night Journey [i.e. Al-Aqsa] will continue until Allah alone declares victory and fulfills his promise."[22] Two days later, he tweeted: "Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque are not a place sacred to the Palestinians alone. It is a place sacred to all Muslims. It is not merely the property of the current generation, but for all generations of Muslims until Judgment Day."[23] He added: "The existence of the Zionists is alien, oppressive, aggressive, and criminal. It is inconceivable for it to persist. It is undoubtedly [destined for] perdition. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.[24] As for those who do wrong, they will know by what overturning they will be overturned."[25]

Al-Qaradhawi's July 16 tweet: "The jihad will continue." @alqaradawy ,  July16, 2017.