Arabs Livid Over Ben-Gvir Synagogue View in Al Aqsa

In a dangerous provocation to Muslims in the West Bank, Gaza and the Arab and Muslim worlds, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he intends to build a Jewish synagogue within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. This is a site that is revered by Muslims worldwide.

The Ben-Gvir statement was reported by Israel’s Army Radio, where he claimed that Israeli law grants equal rights to Muslims and Jews to conduct prayers at the holy mosque as reported in the Quds News Network.

Meanwhile Jordan condemned such a statement. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called it as “a violation of international law and an unacceptable provocation that requires a clear-cut international position condemning it.”

It stated Ben-Gvir’s statement “fuels extremism and endeavors to change the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites through imposing new facts and practices driven by a bigoted exclusionary narrative.”

It stressed that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque site is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims, and the Jordan-run Jerusalem Waqf Department is the legal entity supervising Al-Aqsa Mosque affairs.

As well, Egypt, Monday, denounced Ben-Gvir’s call to build a synagogue inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, stating what he says heightens tension in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The country’s Foreign Ministry said Israel is legally responsible for adhering to the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and preserving Islamic and Christian sanctities.

It also demanded Israel comply with its obligations as an occupying power, and “stop such provocative statements aimed at further escalation and tension in the region.”

The ministry added that Ben-Gvir’s statement against Al-Aqsa Mosque further complicates and aggravates the situation across the Palestinian territories, and hinders efforts to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to distance himself from Ben-Gvir. However all he said is that the status quo on the Al Aqsa Mosque remains unchanged.

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Türkiye Denounces Israel’s Attacks on Journalists

Türkiye, Friday, slammed Israel’s recent attacks on journalists, underlining their commitment to supporting media professionals reporting on the Palestinian plight.

“We wish a speedy recovery to the TRT News cameraman who was injured in occupiers’ attack, and we extend our get-well wishes to the TRT family,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement according to Anadolu.

“We see that Israel has not realized for months that it cannot conceal the truth by attacking journalists,” the ministry said.

“Brave and honorable journalists will continue to resolutely report the oppression happening in Palestine to the whole world, and our Ministry will stand by them in this struggle,” it added.

Israeli police prevented hundreds of Palestinian youths from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem for Friday prayers, witnesses told Anadolu.

Police officers stationed at the mosque’s outer gates turned away hundreds of youths seeking to pray, the witnesses said, adding that the police assaulted some of them.

The witnesses said that police beat one young man near Lion’s Gate, injuring his head. They also claimed that a member of the Turkish television network TRT was assaulted by police in the same area without any reason.

The Israeli police did not provide reasons for barring the large number of youths from entering the mosque or for the assaults. However, restrictions on youths entering the mosque have been tightening over the past few weeks.

The Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, an organization under Jordanian authority responsible for managing the mosque’s affairs, stated that 35,000 people managed to perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite Israeli restrictions.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, amid a deadly Israeli offensive that killed nearly 39,200 people in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 590 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and called for the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem according to the Turkish news agency.

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Jordan Condemns Knesset Bill on UNRWA Designation

Jordan Monday, condemned the decision of the Israeli Knesset to classify the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a terrorist organisation according to the Petra news agency.

The decision is an “attempt to kill the agency, assassinate it politically and target its symbolism, which affirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return and compensation under the international law,” a Foreign Ministry statement empahsized.

Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Sufyan Qudah, said: “The ongoing Israeli allegations and measures targeting UNRWA and aiming to kill it and cancel its pivotal and basic role in providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people under its UN mandate represent a blatant violation of international law and Israel’s obligations as the occupying power.”

Qudah noted the UN Agency’s role in providing “vital” services to Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operations, especially in Gaza, which is suffering an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the ongoing Israeli war since 7 October.

He urged the international community to continue providing political and financial support to UNRWA, adding that the Agency “cannot be dispensed with or replaced” until the Palestinian issue is resolved based on the two-state solution by establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the lines of June 4, 1967.

Meanwhile Secretary-General of the PLO’s Executive Committee Hussein Al-Sheikh termed the Knesset’s decision as a “disregard for the international community and its international organizations.”

“We affirm that the Israeli occupation is the ugliest form of terrorism practiced daily against the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement as reported in Anadolu.

The Knesset passed three bills to shut down the UNRWA and deem it as a “terrorist” organization. The bills will require two more readings to become effective.

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Two Jordanian Soldiers Killed After Aid Truck Overturns

Two army officers were killed and another two were injured when three military trucks, part of a relief and humanitarian aid convoy heading to the Gaza Strip, were derailed off the Dead Sea Highway (southwest Amman) on Sunday, Petra reported.



An official military source at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) – Arab Army said that the two martyrs are: Sergeant Imad Atta Aref Al-Aram and and Officer/2 Yahya Othman Yahya Al-Sayah, both from the Royal Supply and Transportation Directorate, the Jordan news agency stated.



The source added that the two injuries were listed as moderate.

The JAF emphasized that it will continue to send humanitarian relief aid to help the people in the Gaza Strip overcome the difficult conditions they are going through.

Since December 2023, the number of aid trucks entering Gaza from Jordan reached 2,110, according to the latest statistics from the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

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