RAMALLAH, West Bank, 26 August 2007 — The director of the Islamic Awqaf (endowments) in Jerusalem, Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, yesterday warned of the danger of the Israeli authorities persistence in barring the entry of renovation materials and electric cables to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as the holy month of Ramadan is nearing.
Al-Khatib said Israeli authorities have been for three consecutive years delaying the entry of the main cable essential to illuminate the mosque. He added that electric power could be off at any moment because the old cables are is state of disrepair.
He said, the Israelis are also hindering the entry of 70 spotlights to improve the lighting inside and outside the Dome of the Rock — within a project to develop the infrastructure of the Aqsa Mosque. He held the Israelis fully responsible for any power outages in the mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. In the context of renovations, Al-Khatib revealed that a fifth minaret for the mosque is being designed by the reconstruction committee in the Jordanian capital, Amman, affirming that work is almost finished.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Supreme Judge Sheikh Taysir Rajab Al-Tamimi accused the Israeli authorities of attempting to gradually seize control of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron and transform it into a “Jewish synagogue.” The Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, is venerated by the three monotheistic religions and is thought to be the burial site of four Biblical couples.
According to Oslo Agreement signed between Israel and PLO in 1995, the Islamic Awqaf owns 81 percent of the site. However, the Israeli forces control the entrance to the mosque and regularly prohibit Muslims from entering the area.
Al-Tamimi said the Israeli authorities divided the mosque by force to protect “Jewish aggressors and settlers.” He also said that the use of electronic gates at the mosque’s entrance prevents worshippers entering for prayer, or the sounding of the call to prayer.
Tamimi appealed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to intervene immediately and exert pressure on the Israeli government to end what he described as “crimes against the Ibrahimi Mosque”. The Supreme Judge urged the Palestinian Authority to reveal Israeli crimes against Muslim holy places in Jerusalem and Hebron, and Israeli attempts to turn the conflict into a religious struggle.
In another development, dozens of Palestinian journalists and representatives of foreign and local news outlets yesterday held a demonstration in the central West Bank city of Ramallah to protest Hamas’ security apparatus “Executive Force” crackdown on media last Friday in Gaza Strip.
The organizers of the demonstration issued a statement declaring “we want to show our solidarity with the journalists in Gaza, for the assaults and oppression they suffer from the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force.”
