NOTHING IS SACRED IN THE HOLY LAND

March 5, 2010 at 19:00 (Extremism, Israel, Palestine, Soldier Brutality, Status of Jerusalem, zionist harassment)

Friday is the Holiest Day in the Islamic week. The following two reports demonstrate the contempt the zionists have for those of the Muslim faith….. Just imagine the SCREAMS of anti Semitism if anything similar happened to Jews anywhere….. screams that would be heard all around the world…… BUT, in the following instances … DEAD SILENCE!

Israeli forces raid Al-Aqsa compound

Jerusalem –  Dozens of Palestinians were injured as Israeli forces entered East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound following the weekly Friday prayers, firing tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades.

At least 15 Israeli police officers were also injured by rocks thrown by Palestinians, Israeli news reports said. Some 200 police officers appeared on the scene, clashing with worshipers in the Haram Ash-Sharif, or noble sanctuary, which houses the mosque.

Forces were seen striking Palestinians with batons, injuring a number of elderly worshipers, and closed off gates into the Old City even before clashes erupted, preventing some worshipers from reaching the site.

The number of injuries amount to more than 60, among them a woman who sustained injuries after being shot with a bullet in the eye, while others sustained injuries to the feet, chest and hands when attacked with rubber-coated bullets.

Israeli forces were also seen preventing crews of Palestine Red Crescent medics from reaching and treating those who were injured.

Clashes erupted between Palestinian teenagers and Israeli forces at several gates leading into the Old City, most prominently at the Mughrabi Gate leading to the mosque, as well as the Huta Gate and the yard of the mosque compound itself.

The compound is the third holiest site in Islam, believed to be the location where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and returned. The site is the holiest for Jews, who believe it to be the site of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and is referred to by Jews and Israelis as the Temple Mount.

The compound is a frequent site of clashes, as tensions run high in the Old City over Israeli excavations and rumors of settlers amassing at the site. Seven Palestinians were detained as clashes erupted last Sunday, with Israeli forces storming the site with discord reported throughout the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said at the time that “tourists entered the Temple Mount and were attacked by 20 masked Palestinians, throwing stones. Police immediately responded to disperse them.”

Rosenfeld said police did not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but surrounded the compound. He added that “1,000 tourist visits continue” in the area.

Over 200 Israeli soldiers and police surrounded the mosque, using loudspeakers calling on worshipers to evacuate the site, Ma’an’s correspondent said. Palestinians responded by using the loudspeakers in the mosque, used to call Muslims to prayer, to urge Palestinians to head to the city.

At the beginning of the week, extremist groups called on sympathizers to gather at the Buraq square, known to Israelis as the Wailing Wall, and march on the Al-Aqsa compound. Palestinians spent the night in the mosque to prevent their entry, it was reported.

In response, national and religious leaders in Jerusalem and in Israel urged Palestinians to prevent the anticipated take-over by amassing at the mosque to prevent the entry of extremists.

Disturbances at the mosque are a central reason for the escalation of tensions between the two sides, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said Monday in a public condemnation of a prior breach of the holy compound.

While Israeli reports of the incident placed blame for Sunday’s clashes squarely on Palestinians, PCHR investigations affirmed eyewitness accounts and local news coverage contending that hundreds of Israeli settlers and their supporters, escorted by Israeli security forces, had entered the mosque compound, sparking clashes.

PCHR condmened the breach in the “strongest possible terms,” and further slammed the “use of excessive force” by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians who had gathered inside the mosque or attempted to prevent “the provocative entry of settlers into the mosque.”

In its condemnation, the organization noted heightened concerns over Israeli control of traditionally Palestinian holy sites, following the declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous Sunday, of sites within the West Bank as “Israeli heritage” locations. The move sparked fears that Israeli forces would further limit Palestinian access to the landmarks.

“PCHR strongly condemns all disruptive measures taken by [Israeli forces] in East Jerusalem … [and] calls upon the international community to immediately intervene to force Israel, the occupying power, to stop such measures.”

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Top Islamic judge among injured in Hebron rally

Hebron – Tayseer At-Tamimi, the chief Islamic judge in Palestine, along with others were hurt after inhaling gas while leaving the Ibrahimi Mosque after performing Friday prayers in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at the Muslim leader as he exited the mosque, witnesses said. He was transferred to the Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron for treatment. Israeli soldiers also fired on others while they were leaving the landmark.

In protest on the Israeli decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque on a list of Israeli heritage sites, hundreds of Palestinians flocked to the southern West Bank city to perform Friday prayers.

Clashes erupted between locals and Israeli forces, who beat several journalists, onlookers said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said 400 Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the city, for which soldiers used riot-dispersal means. There were no irregular reports of damage or injuries during the incident, she said.

Mustafa Barghouti, former Palestinian information minister, disputed the army’s account.

He described the events as “barbaric,” and added that “Israeli soldiers used force and tear-gas canisters while we were leaving the mosque after performing prayers; there was nothing happening at the time.”

Among the injured were Abed Al-Hafith Al-Hashlamoun, whose shoulder was dislocated and camera destroyed, Mohammad Hamdan, cameraman for Palestine TV, Akram An-Natshah, correspondent for Al-Quds TV, and photojournalist Abed Al-Ghani An-Natshah, who works for Pal Media.

Israeli forces in Hebron have cracked down on journalists in recent weeks.

A photographer for Agence France-Presse, Marco Longari, was briefly detained last Thursday. He was arrested for “acting violently toward security forces” and transferred to police custody, according to the army. Two others were injured during confrontations with soldiers and police.

Two days earlier, Nasser Shiyoukhi, a photographer for The Associated Press, was detained for questioning and released later the same day, Israeli police said. A police document accused him of assaulting a settler two months ago, Shiyoukhi said at the time. He was later ordered to appear in court in late September.

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