Aumenta la tensión en la Explanada de las Mezquitas con las incursiones de los colonos y los ataques de fuerzas israelíes

Palestinians and Israeli police on Thursday staged fresh riots at the Esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem, when dozens of settlers, backed by the authorities themselves, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site for Islam. Palestinian media confirmed that Israeli forces attacked worshippers and fired rubber bullets at them. Israeli police closed the doors of the Qibli prayer hall to worshippers inside, while forcing dozens to leave the mosque.

Several videos released later showed groups of Palestinians shouting "God is the greatest" and "with spirit with blood, we will redeem Al-Aqsa" as Israeli settlers and forces passed by.

Settler groups announced their intention to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque and raise Israeli flags at the mosque, coinciding with Israel's Independence Day. However, Palestinians issued calls for pilgrimage to the mosque. The Fatah movement in the West Bank called for a mobilisation: "I call on our people to go to Al-Aqsa tomorrow, to perform seclusion there, and to raise the Palestinian flag in the courtyards of the mosque, in rejection of the settlers' repeated incursions into its courtyards". 

Alongside this, the National and Civil Action Authority in Al-Quds issued a statement calling on Palestinians "not to hesitate to be at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially at morning and noon prayers".

For its part, the Hamas group said in a statement that "the incursion of Zionist settler groups into the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the occupation soldiers is a dangerous escalation of tensions and a direct provocation".

The day was also attended by MP Yomtob Kalfon, a member of the right-wing Yamina party, headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. In a post on his social network Twitter, Kalfon published a photograph of himself at the Esplanade of the Mosques while writing "happy Independence Day".

The Israeli police said in a statement that they had "repelled rioters who threw projectiles at the Esplanade of the Mosques". They also stated that "there have been no unexpected changes to the systems followed for many years at the holy sites".

Since mid-April, there have been recurrent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters, resulting in at least 300 injuries, the vast majority of them Palestinian. These clashes have occurred during the coincidence of Ramadan, Christian Holy Week and Passover, but Thursday's clashes also coincided with the 74th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, according to the Hebrew calendar. However, this increase in tension was heightened a fortnight ago when Israeli forces attacked the Gaza Strip after Hamas fired a rocket from the Palestinian enclave into Israel.

In recent weeks, many countries have taken a stand against the fighting, including Morocco. However, Algeria has obstructed the adoption of a statement by the Arab Group in New York on the recent Israeli aggression against the holy sites in the Holy City, for the sole reason that it refers to the Al-Quds Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), chaired by King Mohammed VI.

The Palestinian delegation circulated this communiqué for approval by the Arab Group in New York. All members supported the text with the exception of the Algerian ambassador, who objected to the reference to the Al-Quds Committee.

Morocco's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, energetically condemned what he called "an Algerian manoeuvre to attack Morocco and its symbols". Hilale also stated that “it is neither in the habits, nor in the ethics, and even less in the abilities of Arab ambassadors in New York, to comment on or criticise the responsibilities delegated to Arab heads of state and government”.