Middle East Monitor / April 27, 2023
The Israeli occupation state is waging a “systematic” war to end the Islamic presence in Jerusalem, the Deputy Director General of the Islamic Awqaaf [Religious Endowments] in Jerusalem, Dr Najeh Bakirat, said on Wednesday. He added that the latest raids by Israeli police at Bab al-Rahma Mosque “came to test the pulse of Muslims ahead of closing it permanently.”
A rights group warned yesterday that Israel plans to turn Bab al-Rahma Mosque within the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa in occupied Jerusalem into a synagogue.
“The Israeli occupation is working to restore its influence and its absolute security and administrative control over Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Bakirat told the Gaza newspaper Al-Resalah. “There has been intensive Israeli military activity at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound over the past two days.”
Bakirat suggested that such activity is intended to send a message to the four million Muslim worshippers who attended prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, which ended last weekend.
“This is a comprehensive war targeting Islamic demography, geography and presence in the holy city,” explained the Islamic Awqaaf official. He insisted that the Israeli occupation is planning to separate and Judaize the eastern part of the occupied city. “It is a war that targets all aspects of life in Jerusalem.”
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Israel plans to turn Bab al-Rahma Mosque into a synagogue, rights group warns
Middle East Monitor / April 26, 2023
The Islamic-Christian Committee in Support of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries yesterday warned that the Israeli occupation is planning to turn the Baba al-Rahma Prayer Hall into a Jewish synagogue, Quds Press reported.
Bab al-Rahma is part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound. It has been subject to repeated Israeli attacks since the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
In a statement, the committee warned of a pre-planned Israeli manoeuvre to Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing out that “separating Bab al-Rahma Mosque from the whole area of Al-Aqsa Mosque and turning it into a Jewish synagogue is part of the plan.”
The committee called on all Palestinians to “face off the Israeli attempt to close Bab al-Rahma Mosque, repair it and resume prayers inside it.”
In the statement, the committee stressed that “any attempt to change the status quo will have dangerous consequences that the Israeli occupation will be blamed for.”
On Monday, Israeli occupation forces raided Bab al-Rahma Mosque and cut electricity supplies for the second time in five days.
They detained two Palestinian men and a Turkish woman who were praying inside, WAFA news agency said, and asked the guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque not to repair the electricity grid. The Turkish lady was released a day later.
