Palestinians Confront 'Judaization' of Al-Aqsa

Seventy-year-old Mustafa al-Aal travels for three hours each day – from Umm al-Fahm to occupied East Jerusalem – to perform prayers in the latter city's iconic Al-Aqsa Mosque.

But prayers aren't the elderly man's only reason for making the daily journey. He also makes the trip to join other Palestinians who go each day to the mosque, considered Islam's third holiest site, to  defend it from  Israeli attempts to "Judaize" Al-Aqsa.

"The recent behavior of Jewish settlers has forced people to ask about what is happening," al-Aal told Anadolu Agency after attending a religious lecture in the Al-Aqsa courtyard.

"What they're doing is mere provocation. We're racing against them [extremist Jewish settlers]," he added. "They want to achieve something on the ground."

Palestinian Muslims like al-Aal say attempts by Jewish settlers to efface the mosque's Islamic identity have become increasingly frequent in recent months.

In hopes of thwarting Jewish settlers' plans, they go to the mosque in droves every day. Some attend religious lectures, others attend Quran recitals, but all share a single objective: aborting Israel's intention to Judaize – or even demolish – the historic house of worship.

"We come to Al-Aqsa to defend it," said Ihab Selim al-Galad, an expert in the history of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. "We're working to foil Israeli plans to historically and geographically divide the mosque."

Impassive

With the same objective in mind, Arab men, women, children and the elderly generally flock to the mosque from the early hours of the morning until noon.

They go in order to attend lectures on Islamic religion and heritage and to stand up to increasingly frequent violations of the mosque compound by Jewish settlers and Israeli police.

Most lectures take place in the courtyards opposite the Magharba Gate, which has been controlled by the Israeli authorities since 1967.

In recent months, scores of Jewish settlers have broken into the mosque compound with increasing frequency, often clashing with Palestinian students and worshippers.

To defend the mosque from repeated Israeli violations, Palestinians have stepped up their presence inside the prayer hall and in the courtyards. Local schools organize trips to the mosque, while elderly Muslims – including al-Aal – come in large numbers each day.

"We believe that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is all about our identity," al-Aal asserted. "If they deprive us of our Islamic identity, we will be left with nothing."

Source: World Bulletin