Worshippers forbidden from entering Al Aqsa mosque

[feralunderclass]

Just saw this on the news, police literally beating people with batons who are in the vicinity. It's a war on all Palestinians, no one can claim this is an attempt to eradicate Hamas.

I was wondering when this was going to happen. Disruption of worship has been going on all this year apparently and it's now stepping up. I'm surprised it hadn't been bombed to be honest.

Non of these events are accident, it's all been planned.

Give it a couple of years and all the Christian sites will be destroyed as well.

What Israel are doing is an all out war on Islam and the West are going to pay the price. It's going to stoke massive hatred and resentment towards countries like ours, terrorism will increase and there will be community divisions as well. Most Muslims are peaceful and just want to get on with their lives just as we do, but there'll always be an element which sees violence as the answer and it's going to lead to a great many problems.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231004-israel-leaders-finally-react-to-escalation-of-anti-christian-attacks-by-illegal-settlers/

Emboldened by the new Far Right government apparently.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/05/middleeast/israel-al-aqsa-mosque-clash-intl-hnk/index.html

Attacks have been going on all year.

This is what happens when an ultra nationalist far right regime are in charge.

My youngest son dreams of visiting Jerusalem (we're Orthodox Christians) he never will now. My eldest visited a few years ago.

I’m not saying that blocking entry is ok but it’s not new, happens quite a lot and was as recently as 2 days https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231024-israel-bans-muslims-from-al-aqsa-mosque/amp/

@flufferknutter - "an all out war on Islam"
Oh, come on now. There are 9m Israelis, 18% of whom are Muslim. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are 1.57bn Muslims worldwide?
So an Israeli "holy war" against Islam seems a bit of a wild assertion.

@Maireas You're correct. The previous poster should have specified all Muslims and Christians in Palestine and Israel.

It’s open racism and Islamophobia and it’s supported by loads of posters on this forum.

This israeli government are ethnic cleansing Palestine and we are standing by afraid to say anything.

we’re being told:
all Palestinians = terrorists
support for Palestine = support for Hamas
free Palestine = kill all jews

no - don’t put these words in my mouth to support your racist narrative.

Hamas terrorism DID NOT happen in a vacuum. The treatment of the Palestinians o er past 56 years is sickening and the abject misery and trauma inflicted on children mean they grow up to be traumatised adults indoctrinated in violence and revenge.

killing innocent civilians is never justifiable but the reasons why these terrorists able to groom young Palestinians to undertake these abhorrent acts are absolutely obvious - Israel have effectively cultivated these terrorists.

and have a look at what the IDF role was in the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1983. What happened here is EXACTLY what happened to these poor Israeli civilians . And it was facilitated by an IDF general who later became PM. Ariel Sharon was responsible for terrorist acts yet he could still lead the country??!!

i am only going to should louder “FREE PALESTINE”. Leave Gaza alone, demolish the settlements in the West Bank. Two state solution is needed urgently. But the apartheid Israeli government will NEVER do this.

Maybe chill a bit @feralunderclass was bereaved in a bombing in Khan Younis last night

And find out a bit more about the political/religious significance of the Al Aqsa mosque - it's one of the holiest places in Islam

They should. All this crazy hyperbole doesn't help.

I don't need to "chill".
I was just challenging a statement.
I'm sorry to hear if this person is bereaved, of course I had no idea.
My condolences to them.

@feralunderclass after the last three weeks I often feel scared to even go onto the news to see what else has happened as each day seems to get worse than the day before. And a peaceful solution seems even further away.
The scenes of worshippers being beaten up on a Friday whilst they try to go to pray is heartbreaking

It is the site of the Jewish Temple upon which the mosque was built hundreds of years later. It is the holiest Jewish site in the world.

This isn't as new as this year or the last few years. I visited Al Aqsa 15 years ago and it was harrowing then too. If they don't like the look of you they send you to enter through another gate and they just keep messing you around. Just a bunch of small bullies given guns larger than them to terrorise poor civilians. And you can't even say anything because they just need any small excuse to hurt you.

I saw a frail old man pleading with his hands outstretched begging to let through so he could go to the mosque. They didn't even bother saying no to him. Just backhanded him hard enough to push him onto the ground. And the worst part? No-one could say a word to defend him. Our tour guide ushered us away and that image has stayed with me. How is this excusable? Come on Israel apologists, defend it.

It's awful. Forced to pray in the street surrounded by bullies with guns.

It’s crazy that people who’ve all become experts in the history of the area in the last fortnight don’t seem to know this. The Western Wall is the remnant of the retaining wall of Temple Mount, site of the First and Second Temples, the holiest site in Judaism. It’s literally right there. It’s an incredibly contentious site and it’s awful that Muslims and Jews cannot worship there in peace instead of it becoming yet another battleground.

Of course people know of the history. Does it excuse the violence?

Any half-educated person knows the history of this place as it exemplifies the Palestinian-Israel conflict in microsm and has been a long discussed flash-point for decades [centuries]

I don’t understand why Jews aren’t allowed to pray there at all tbh. It’s literally their holiest site, only 3rd holiest site to muslims. They should all be allowed to pray there regardless.

As an atheist I feel the world would be a better place if everyone just dropped religion altogether but if you must insist on it then everyone should be allowed to practice without fear (as long as it doesn’t involve actual harm).

Do Jewish people want to worship inside the mosque? They have their own access to the (very heavily protected) Western Wall.
I know it's not new, just last Ramadan there was a completely unprovoked attack during night prayers. I think within the context of the conflict it needs to be pointed out that the Palestinians all over are under daily scrutiny and often oppression. Jerusalem is nowhere near Gaza so all of the "but Hamas!" crew should take note.

I'll agree that a lot of them /are/ hostile, but unless you happened to be there at one of the times when the IDF did come in, what you encountered was the administration of the waqf. The people guarding the entrance into the complex aren't IDF. They're Jordanian. The whole complex is administered by a Jordanian wadf and they're Jordanian appointees.

I was there this year and it was definitely the IDF with guns when I visited.

@feralunderclass Jewish people
wish to pray in the courtyard of the mosque, the site of the Temple, but are forbidden from praying anywhere onsite and any entry for them at all is strictly controlled. Recent spates of antagonism involve ultra right wing Jews entering and praying on the site anyway, which is guaranteed to inflame tensions, and men supposedly there to pray in the mosque at Ramadan letting off fireworks and playing football in the courtyard, which is hugely disrespectful and guaranteed to trigger an IDF retaliation with unnecessary force.

Building a mosque on top of the holiest site in Judaism was always going to be a recipe for disaster but it’s there now and the site should be revered for its significance to both Muslims and Jews.

I can see why Israel doesn’t want thousands of young men gathering there right now. It’s Hezbollah not Hamas they’re concerned about.