Palestinian groups decry Israel assaults on worshippers

By Nour Mahd Ali Abu Aisha, Ali Semerci and Afra Aksoy</p> <p> </p> <p>GAZA CITY (AA) – Palestinian groups on Tuesday condemned Israeli aggression in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, and called on people to unite to defend the sacred mosque.</p> <p>The groups said escalating tensions in Al-Aqsa Mosque is a continuation of arbitrary policies of Israel against Palestinians, land and sacred places, referring to raids in East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.</p> <p>&quot;The prevention of the congregation, which wanted to pray in al-Aqsa, Judaization, occupation, destruction and deportation of the capital [Jerusalem], will not affect the determination of our people to remain loyal to the resistance and the land,&quot; Fatah movement spokesman Atef Abu Saif said in a written statement.</p> <p>Saif said incidents in Jerusalem was a result of silence of the international community before the violation of all international agreements and human rights.</p> <p>Palestinian resistance group Hamas also decried the incidents and called on people to be insistent on their will to enter and leave the sacred mosque when they want.</p> <p>Mustafa Barghouthi, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative movement, also condemned Israeli attacks on Muslims.</p> <p>Warning of Israeli provocation to damage sacred places, he said Palestinians can fail Israel in its aims by being united and determined.</p> <p> </p> <p>- ‘Places of worship are for prayer’</p> <p>“I am following events at the holy esplanade in #Jerusalem with concern.” Nickolay Mladenov, UN's envoy for Middle East peace, wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>“Places of worship are for prayer, not for provocations and violence,” he added and called for restraint.</p> <p>He also urged everyone to show respect for the status quo in Jerusalem.</p> <p>Earlier Tuesday, Israeli forces sealed several entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex amid ongoing clashes with Palestinian worshippers.</p> <p>“Israeli soldiers stormed the Al-Aqsa compound and assaulted religious figures,” Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments Authority, a Jordan-run agency tasked with overseeing the city's Muslim and Christian sites, said in a statement.</p> <p>Tension has mounted in Jerusalem last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa compound’s Al-Rahma Gate, located adjacent to the eastern wall of the Old City, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations. </p> <p>In the weeks since, the Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians — including religious officials — from entering the Al-Aqsa, which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site.</p> <p>Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.</p> <p> </p> <p>*Writing by Sena Guler</p> <p>