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Equipped with stun grenades, tear gas, batons and supported by Jewish settlers, the Israeli police stormed the Al Aqsa mosque in Al Quds on Friday evening during Taraweeh prayers.
Palestinian worshipers fled to other areas of the holy city. 200 people were wounded among the Palestinians, 88 of whom were evacuated to hospitals, reports Al Jazeera, citing a statement from the Palestinian Red Crescent.
This escalation was predictable. Since Friday morning, the Israeli police tried to block and close roads leading to the Al Aqsa mosque, to prevent Muslims from performing the last Friday prayer of Ramadan.
Violent clashes broke out after #Israel ?? security forces stormed the #Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East #Jerusalem on the last Friday of #Ramadan
Initial reports indicate several injuries among #Palestinian ?? worshippers https://t.co/gggy7JVLIa— Saad Abedine ???? (@SaadAbedine) May 7, 2021
Faced with these new developments, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, called for an urgent meeting of the Security Council devoted to the examination of the situation. He also called on the international community to «guarantee international protection» for the Palestinians.
For his part Ismail Haniya, the head of the political office of the Hamas movement, called on Arab countries having diplomatic relations with Israel to suspend them and to recall their accredited diplomats to Tel Aviv for consultation.
El Othmani denounces the situation
Jordan, through its religious supervision over the holy places in Al Quds, condemned «the penetration of the Al Aqsa mosque and the barbaric aggression against the faithful». Amman called on the Israelis to leave the place. With virulent terms, the Sheikh of Al Azhar, Mohamed Atayeb sees in it an act of «brutal Zionist terrorism benefiting from a shameful global silence». Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the Arab League and Egypt voiced the same position.
Seemingly, this wave of condemnation has not yet reached Morocco. Only Saadeddine El Othmani, as secretary general of the PJD, showed support for the Palestinians. «We denounce these violations in Al Quds Acharif, especially in the Al Jarrah neighborhood», he wrote on Twitter.
Elsewhere, the United States called for «de-escalation». «We are deeply concerned about the rise in tensions in Jerusalem, concerned about the potential evictions of Palestinian families» from neighborhoods in the holy city, «many of whom have of course been living in their homes for generations», a spokeswoman of the Department of State said. The UN Human Rights Council, for its part, has urged the Israeli authorities to end operations aimed at driving Palestinians away from Al Quds and from their homes.
