Prominent Palestinian figures have openly condemned the escalating attacks conducted by extremist settlers, shielded by Israeli occupation forces, particularly in the cities of Jerusalem and Hebron. These attacks target sacred sites and unarmed civilians, blatantly violating international laws and customs.
Hatim Al-Bakri, the Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs, stressed that the increasing encroachments of settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under protection from the Israeli occupation police, aim at spatial and temporal division. Al-Bakri believes that there’s an orchestrated effort to evacuate the city’s indigenous residents. In a press release on Sunday, Al-Bakri emphasized that the ongoing offenses, endorsed by the Israeli political echelons, mandate the global community to intervene decisively to curtail these infringements.
Al-Bakri has also urged Arab and Islamic nations to act promptly to safeguard the Al-Aqsa Mosque and oppose these illegitimate and racist actions.
Parallelly, the chairman of the National Council, Ruhi Fatouh, condemned the settlers’ intrusion into the Old Town of Hebron under the aegis of the Israeli occupation army, which resulted in stabbing a young man and assaulting local residents and their properties. Fatouh further stated that such offenses, beyond being a severe and consistent transgression of international laws, highlight the bigger issue: their presence on Palestinian land and the subsequent expulsion and crimes against its rightful inhabitants.
Fatouh held the extremist Israeli government accountable for these atrocities and other crimes against the Palestinian people. He appealed to the international community and its institutions to shoulder their responsibilities, hold Israel accountable for its offenses, and protect against the criminal settlers who persist in their transgressions against the Palestinian people, their sacred sites, lands, and properties.
On the same note, Israeli occupation forces, on Sunday, brutally attacked worshippers at Bab Al-Silsila, one of the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, concurrently with settlers breaching the mosque, purportedly celebrating the “Hebrew New Year”. Jerusalem sources confirmed that dozens of Israeli soldiers assaulted and physically pushed individuals away from the vicinity of Bab Al-Silsila. Several Palestinians were injured in these confrontations.
Furthermore, a group of settlers attacked residents, their homes, and properties in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in Hebron the previous night. One settler stabbed a Palestinian young man with a knife, causing moderate injuries.
This article seeks to raise awareness about the current events in Jerusalem and Hebron, emphasizing the urgency of international intervention.
