Israeli forces raided Al-Quds’ Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, attacking Palestinians worshipping inside. Thousands of Palestinians were attacked by Israeli police while praying in a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
Al-Aqsa is one of the largest and most important mosques in the Muslim world and the earliest in Palestine. Masjid Al-Aqsa is Al-Quds’ holiest Muslim site. Al-Aqsa is a symbol of Prophetic remembrance for Muslims worldwide, connecting not only the three holiest places of Makkah, Medina, and Al-Quds but also the Prophet’s biography. The importance of Masjid Al-Aqsa to Muslims is undeniable. The mosque is also a symbol of Palestinian resistance, and it has been repeatedly raided by Israeli forces and extreme factions seeking to replace it with a temple. Apart from its religious significance, Al-Aqsa symbolizes Palestinian culture and nationhood.
Israeli authorities have permitted Israeli radicals to intimidate and desecrate the sanctity of Masjid Al-Aqsa since the occupation began. The attacks on Masjid Al-Aqsa, on the other hand, have been directed by Israeli political leaders throughout the last decade.
The Israeli authority has escalated its violent actions in Al-Quds in general and in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Moreover, it already maintains temporal and spatial separations between native Palestinians and Zionist settler-colonists to impose Judaization as a fait accompli in the end.
Moreover, the number of Zionist political and religious personalities who have entered the Al-Aqsa Site has risen, in an attempt to divide the mosque between Muslims and Jews. The Israeli apartheid regime’s frequent invasions into the mosque are meant to allow Jews to perform Talmudic prayers there, in an attempt to justify the absurd demand to partition Al-Aqsa.
What is evident is that “Israel” has begun to speed its ambitions to Judaise Al-Quds in order to reach the point when it would be able to build a temple – at the expense of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque – and impose absolute Jewish Israeli sovereignty over it. In recent years, the number of invasions into Al-Aqsa and its courtyards has increased. Since the occupation began in 1948, Israeli offensives on the Al-Aqsa Mosque have never stopped. Since then, the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been in grave danger. “Israel” has also banned Ethiopian pilgrims from entering the country during this year’s Easter season. “Israel’s” brutality targets all religions.
The desecration of Masjid Al-Aqsa by “Israel” is an insult to Muslims worldwide. “Israel’s” actions and support for extremists demonstrate its contempt for the sanctity Muslims place on Al-Aqsa. However, the subject of the Al-Aqsa cannot be considered in isolation from the rest of the Palestinian struggle. People are uniting to defend their cultural and national heritage and their rights, including their right to worship, residency, freedom of movement, and a dignified living. The Palestinian struggle for justice, freedom, and equality is embodied in the protests for Al-Aqsa.
Suppose all Muslims cherish spiritually Al-Aqsa Haram Sharif. In that case, the question to ask is, what are Muslims worldwide doing to defend their Holy site, and how the world community does not put pressure on “Israel” to cease attacking the Al-Aqsa mosque and its worshippers? Muslims must have their role to protect Al-Quds’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. The protection of the Muslim holy place is a matter of faith, not just a question of whether more can be done to protect it.
The international community must hold “Israel” accountable for its ongoing attacks and abuses against Palestinians, their land, and sacred places. Significantly, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) needs to speak up. The Organization is the Muslim world’s united voice. In the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among all peoples, it strives to promote and protect the interests of the Muslim world. To play a meaningful role in combating Muslim distress, the OIC and Muslim countries must work together and assume their privileged position in dealing with Palestine’s dire condition.
The international community and the Muslim world should take steps to protect Palestinians and their rightful rights. Muslims must act in unity and solidarity to prevent occupation and oppression in Al-Quds. All Muslims on the globe have their hearts set on Masjid Al-Aqsa. Al-Quds will be free when we achieve complete unity.
Most importantly, efforts should be made to reclaim Al-Quds, protect its Islamic and historical identity, preserve and protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other important places, and combat the Holy City’s Judaization. The international community must act quickly to protect Palestinians and their fundamental rights.
On Al-Quds Day, millions of people gather worldwide to show their sympathy for the Palestinian cause and to reiterate their demand to put an end to the Zionist apartheid regime’s atrocities and occupation of Palestine. This is an opportunity for people worldwide to come together and resist the violent extremism of Israeli cruelty and “ideology”. Last year, the battle of Seif Al-Quds represented the Palestinian nation’s solidarity, which stemmed from the Palestinian people’s vigilance and freedom-seeking zeal.
Those from the Arab world who have signed normalization agreements chose to remain silent over the Israeli brutality. However, the escalation of violence in Al-Aqsa has put a lot of pressure on those nations, who had argued that having a closer connection with “Israel” would help them restrict Israeli activities against Palestinians. The normalization agreement did not affect Israeli violence or the annexation of Palestinian land. It simply highlighted “Israel’s” apartheid policies, which grant full rights to Israeli Jews while oppressing and discriminating against the indigenous Palestinian population.
More specifically, the Islamic world should mobilize the world to stop “Israel’s” brutality. They must urge the international community to hold “Israel” accountable for the escalation of events and demand an immediate halt to any aggravation that violates international laws and pacts. The UN Security Council should take action in response to “Israel’s” persistent violations. Under international humanitarian law, “Israel’s” recent illegal actions constitute “war crimes,” and those responsible for the “ruthless abuses” in Al-Aqsa must be prosecuted.
*The writer is a researcher and analyst.
May 3, 2022
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
