RAMALLAH, Sunday, August 11, 2019, (WAFA) –The Palestinian presidency condemned today the Israeli occupation forces storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers on the first day of Eid Al-Adha and warned that the Israeli escalation could turn the political conflict into religious strife.
"We hold the Israeli government responsible for police breaking into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers, which is a major provocation to the feelings of Muslims and serves to fuel the situation and increase tension that would drag the region to the square of violence," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli police attacked tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims who were holding the morning prayers for the first day of Eid Al-Adha, one of the main Muslim holidays, at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, causing several dozen injuries, mainly among elderly people who had to be transferred to hospitals for treatment.
The police attack came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and extremist right wing Israeli officials pressed for allowing fanatic Jews into the Muslim holy compound on this important Muslim holiday. In order to allow the fanatic Jews in, Israeli police attacked the Muslim worshippers and forced them out of the holy compound while preventing them from carrying out their religious duty.
Abu Rudeineh stressed in a statement the need to stop the Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that it is a red line that cannot be tolerated in the face of repeated attacks on this holy place by the occupation forces and its settlers.
He said that President Abbas salutes our people in Jerusalem for their steadfastness in the face of the occupation schemes that seek to change the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque as an only Muslim holy place, calling for urgent international and Arab intervention in order to curb the aggression and Israeli arrogance and force Israel as an occupying power to stop its actions and practices in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
"We warn the Israeli government against continuing to allow settlers to carry out these crimes and we warn against turning the political conflict into a religious one that could burn everything in its way,” he said.
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