The Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem was the scene of violent clashes on Friday, April 15, which threaten to change the nature of the sequence of violence in which Israel and the Palestinian territories have been sinking since the end March. The Israeli security forces deployed on the esplanade of the Mosques (the Temple Mount for the Jews), on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, before dawn. They entered the mosque of Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam, pinning young Palestinians to the ground, on the carpets, and carrying out arrests. They also violently dispersed Palestinians on the surrounding esplanade, injuring a hundred people by firing metal bullets surrounded by rubber, and by blows with sticks. Three police officers were also injured by stones.
Palestinians had spent the night in the mosque, determined to ” defend “. They were responding to a call from Palestinian factions, launched following a call from Jewish extremists to perform the ritual sacrifice of a lamb on the esplanade – an act that has not been performed for two millennia. , at the time of the Second Temple. This request, launched each year, is pure provocation. The Israeli police closely monitor these activists, who had no chance of achieving their goals.
But the tensions of the last few weeks have given a certain echo to their project. The Israeli authorities maintain relations full of distrust and latent aggression with the Waqf, the guardian institution of the holy places, under Jordanian authority – despite multiple contacts with the monarchy in recent weeks.
Growing anger
Since March 22, Israeli cities have suffered four terrorist attacks, perpetrated by isolated individuals, without orders, without support or networks, which have killed 14 people. The army responded by stepping up arrests in the heart of West Bank towns, as well as retaliatory measures against relatives of the attackers.
Thursday evening, Israel chose to close the West Bank during the weekend, where the holy month of Ramadan, Christian Easter and Jewish Easter collide, a rare occurrence. The army has deployed a massive contingent around the settlements, on the roads and especially around the wall that encloses the territories, occupied since 1967. Since March 22, these operations have killed at least 25 Palestinians, according to a count of the Associated Press, including attackers. They arouse growing anger among the population.
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