The Ministry alleges ‘Jewish extremists’ envision destroying the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock and replacing it with the Jewish Temple.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning Jewish worshippers who pray on the Temple Mount and have accused them of harassment.
The Ministry alleges that the Temple Mount Faithful organization envisions destroying the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock and replacing it with the Jewish Temple with their repetition of the slogan “speedily in our days.”
The PA ministry accused members of Temple Mount Faithful of publishing pictures depicting the al-Aqsa mosque being replaced by the Jewish Temple.
“We take this repeated incitement very seriously, especially when it’s accompanied by the Jewish extremists infiltrating the mosque, performing Talmudic rituals and reading religious texts on its grounds–something that has not happened in the past,” the statement said.
The Ministry also condemned Jewish worshippers on the Temple Mount for “bowing on the ground, blowing the shofar, dancing and waving the Israeli flag.”
The statement claims that the “infiltrations” into the grounds of the al-Aqsa Mosque, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and others, are causing “significant harm to Jerusalem” and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The Ministry alleges that such action aims to “Judaize” the al-Aqsa Mosque and warns that “extremist Jewish organizations” seek to damage the mosque.
Ben Gvir, who has always supported open Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount, prostrated at the Temple Mount and encouraged others to do the same to commemorate the 9th of Av (this year, August 13th), a day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Ben Gvir has told the police not to enforce former rules that would have required them to escort away Jews who prostrated on the Temple Mount or engaged in open prayer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to downplay the increased open Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount by insisting “the status quo has not changed.”