Ra’am: Al-Aqsa Mosque ‘is solely the property of Muslims’

The Ra’am party condemns the ascent of hundreds of Jewish “settlers” to the Temple Mount this morning in observance of the Tisha B’Av fsat.

“The Al-Aqsa Mosque, in its 144 dunams, is solely the property of Muslims, and no one else has any right to it,” the Islamist party says in a joint statement with its parent organization, the Islamic Movement.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam. But the Temple Mount is also Judaism’s holiest site, as the two biblical temples were said to be built on the hilltop. A fragile status quo prevails at the flashpoint sanctuary, with Jewish prayer officially forbidden.

Authorities “allowed officials and Knesset members to storm Al-Aqsa, perform prayers, perform religious rituals, and declaim the Israeli national anthem Hatikva in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Ra’am says, listing a number of actions its members consider to be provocations.

Israeli police were said to clear out Muslim worshippers in advance of the Jewish pilgrimage, which happens yearly on Tisha B’Av. Palestinians threw stones at officers, police said this morning.

There were no reports of serious injuries following the clashes. A few Palestinians were said to be detained, although Israel Police have not confirmed the reports.

Ra’am says that such actions could lead to renewed escalation between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The events that may result from it could inflame the situation in Jerusalem and the entire region, leading to a catastrophic religious war,” Ra’am says.