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The Nakba of Palestine (57)
This letter was published in 1998 in Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
To ministers and leaders of the Evangelical or Fundamentalist congregations who support the State of Israe
l in its expansionist policies:
I am a member of a fundamentalist or evangelical church. Therefore, for some time I have been much troubled upon seeing your names listed in the New York Times (4/18/97 edition), or The Washington Post (1/22/98 edition) along with a number of other prominent fundamentalist ministers who are “joining together to support our Jewish brethren and the State of Israel.”
The articles indicated that your support for Mr. Netanyahu and/or expansionist Israeli leaders and governments is based on your interpretation of Revelation 7:3-8 and various verses from the Old Testament. I understand that you interpret these verses to mean that when the second coming of Christ is about to occur, the Jews on this earth will again possess all of the lands which were once theirs in the Old Testament.
These verses from the Old Testament you interpret to mean that God has a covenant with all Jews because they are the seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and David. (Genesis 12:17, Leviticus 26:44-45, Deuteronomy 7:7-8, David 7: 12-16, I Kings 15:4, Psalms 89:34-37 and Psalms 105:8-11). In none of these verses is it said that this covenant is with all of the seed of these Jewish leaders and forefathers.
The Christians and Muslims who are presently living in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza may be the seed of these Old Testament Jewish leaders as readily as the Jews who are presently living there, many of whom are immigrants from elsewhere. Many of the disciples themselves were originally Jews who lived in these areas. Would you not expect many of their “seed” to be there still?
Mr. Netanyahu and his government continue to build Jewish settlements on land taken by force and terror from the Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim. He and his government continue to seal off or blow up the homes of families in which one member is suspected of participation in any violent acts.
Suspected Christians and Muslims are deported or imprisoned for years without trial and are tortured while in prison. Christian and Muslim families are never given permits to enlarge their own homes no matter how many children they may have.
Taxes are exceedingly higher for Arab citizens than those for Jewish citizens, so high as to drive many Christians and Muslims out of business and/or their homes. Punishments for the killing of Christians and Muslims are usually so minor as to imply that their lives are worth nothing.
It has been indicated also that you base your support of Israel’s apartheid governments on your interpretation of what appears to be signs in today’s world that you think indicate the time for Christ’s second coming is near.
Christian villages have been taken over by terrorist tactics
In the light of all the Christian as well as Muslim villages that have been taken over by means of the very terrorist tactics that Mr. Netanyahu and his government now decry on the part of the Palestinian extremists, and in view of the apartheid treatment of both Christian and Muslim citizens in the areas that are controlled by the Israeli government, would it not be more in keeping with the teaching of Christ to consider more carefully the words of Christ in Acts 1:6 and 7: “When they therefore were com together, they asked of him, saying Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
Time and time again throughout history, groups of Christians thought they had determined the time and the season by using the signs that are given in the New Testament, but each time they were made to look foolish when these words of Christ proved to be true.
We ate told that part of your support for Mr. Netanyahu and his “greater Israel” government is based on Genesis 12:3 where God said to Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee…” God is speaking to Abraham, not to all of his descendants. In the words that follow, “and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed,” surely these words refer to the coming of Christ out of the seed of Abraham, not to those Jews who rejected Christ then and now, and continue to persecute Christ through persecuting his followers.
“Who are my brethren?”
In Matt. 12:48-50, Mark 3:33-35 and Luke 8:21, Christ (the seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David) stated who His seed are when he said, “Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother.”
Many fundamentalist Christians are following the lead of Christian ministers who are giving support to those very people who best fit the description of the antichrist. I am not speaking of those Jews who truly desire peace with justice in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, many of whom place themselves in great jeopardy by speaking out or writing books to expose the insidious pressures and organized power used as well as the horrible injustice and cruelty practiced by the Zionists in order to obtain their objective of a greater Israel. I am speaking of the Orthodox, right-wing, hawkish Jews, many of whom look upon Christians and Muslims as subhuman and not worthy of human treatment.
In Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Dr. Israel Shahak, himself a Jew, quotes this special curse against Christians from the daily prayer book used by many Orthodox Jews in Israel: “And may the apostates have no hope, and all the Christians perish instantly” (page 92). On page 93 Dr. Shahak says that a devout Jew must utter a curse when passing near a Gentile cemetery, and upon seeing a dwelling inhabited by people other than Jews must ask God to destroy it.
The Israeli government, in response to the demands of these Orthodox Jews, bans the use of the plus sign in mathematics because it resembles the cross.
Should not our Christian leaders consider the possibility that the remnant of converted Jews spoken of in Revelation may consist in part of the persecuted Christians in this area whose ancestors may well have been the earliest Jewish converts, or the Jews who (in a more Christian spirit) abhor the cruelty and injustice inflicted on Christians and Muslims by the Netanyahu government and other “greater Israel” motivated governments? Surely the latter are more likely candidates for conversion.
Would it not behoove us to walk every day as if the second coming were going to occur on that very day by simply trying to live as Christ commanded, one aspect of which wold be to support our fellow Christians and give comfort to them in their suffering even as we forgive the persecutors? Surely Christ would not have us support those who persecute them? By the latter action is it possible that we might be endangering our immortal souls?
Another book written by a Christian minister is Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour, whose Christian village in Palestine was demolished by Israeli soldiers. Pastor Chacour preaches forgiveness. Still another book is What Price Israel? by Alfred Lilienthal, a Jew who served the U.S. government in the Middle East during and after World War II.
In the report by the U.N. Committee Against Torture can be found the verification of the apartheid treatment of Christians and Muslims in Israeli occupied territories. In the May 9, 1997 issue of The New York Times the following quote serves to substantiate my statement regarding the sue of torture by the Israeli government or the Shin Bet with the acquiescence of the Israeli government: “According to Israeli human rights organizations, in recent years about 5,000 Palestinians have been subjected to violence in detention annually.” Also the following: “Human rights groups claim that 80 percent of the Palestinians who are tortured are never indicted for a crime.”
If you are interested in verifying anything I have said by reading the sources from which I have quoted and cannot find them in your local library, they can be obtained from the Washington Report, P.O.Box 53062, Washington DC.
May you be constantly filled with and governed by The Holy Spirit, acting in His wisdom and, as such, walking in His peace.
Kathleen Banks is a Virginia-born teacher who retired in 1985 after teaching in both the United States and the Middle East. This article is reprinted from the Washington report in the July/August 1998 issue.
* Kathleen Banks is a Virginia-born teacher who retired in 1985 after teaching in both the United States and the Middle East.
Recent Incident of desecration and Usurpation of the Ibrahim Mosque (The Records of the Islamic Higher Council, Jerusalem)
May 27, 1982
Jewish settlers, putting wine on a table to prevent Muslims from praying in the Ibrahimi Mosque.
June 2, 1982
The preparations for prayer by Jewish settlers in the Ibrahimi Mosque, by the knowledge of the Israeli military Governor.
June 13, 1982
A wedding by Jewish Settler trespassers at the Mosque from 6 p.m until midnight.
July 1, 1982
Jewish settler trespassers brought iron cupboards and chairs into the Jacobite and Ibrahimi tomb rooms inside the Ibrahimi Mosque.
September 13, 1982
Israeli soldiers prevented Muslims from holding their dawn prayers.
September 27, 1982
Jewish settlers blew on the ram’s horn to disrupt the moon, afternoon and sunset Muslim prayers.
October 24, 1982
Jewish settlers brought Hebrew manuscripts in frames into the Ibrahimi and Jacobite tomb rooms, as part of their attempt to chance the Ibrahimi Mosque into a synagogue.
November 27, 1982
Those responsible for the Ibrahimi Mosque were informed that Jews would place the Toran inside the mosque, as part of their attempt to change the Mosque into a synagogue.
November 29, 1982
Two hundred Jewish settlers broke into the Ibrahimi Mosque at night, bringing tables and bottles of Coke into the Jacobite and Yusifyeh tomb rooms.
December 16, 1982
Soldiers placed a candlestick on the Salah Eddin Ayubi citadel, close to the Ibrahimi Mosque, and then brought a gas stove into the mosque.
December 18, 1982
Israeli soldiers brought a dining table into the Ibrahimi Mosque and ate their lunch.
January 29, 1983
Jewish settlers drank wine in the Ibrahimi Mosque.
February 28, 1983
After finishing their prayers inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, Jewish settlers damaged the copper crescent on Lady Rifqa’s window.
April 16, 1983
Jewish settlers held a circumcision ceremony inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, drinking wine and partying in desecration if Islamic standards.
May 1, 1983
Jewish settlers held a circumcision ceremony inside Ibrahimi Mosque and Israeli military forces prevented Muslims from visiting the Ibrahimi tomb.
September 9, 1983
An officer broke a door leading to the Mosque’s minaret and damaged the microphone. Then he made a path for Jews to enter on Muslim carpets.
November 2, 1983
Jewish settlers put a table and chair in the pulpit, changing the area into a religious school.
November 23, 1983
Jewish settlers hung the Ten Commandments in the Ibrahimi and Jacobite tomb rooms as part of their attempt to transform the Mosque into a synagogue.
December 29, 1983
Jewish settlers prevented Muslims from entering the Mosque until late morning, as a way of asserting their claim to control the Ibrahimi mosque.
Janueary 11, 1984
The Military Governor hung three copper pieces holding the Ten Commandment on the three doors of Ibrahimi Mosque, as part of the attempt to transform the Mosque into a synagogue.
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
Since 1967, Israeli authorities have violated Muslim rights in the Ibrahimi Mosque (Mosque of the Patriarchs) in Hebron, by restricting Muslims to praying in the Mosque only on Fridays.
Jewish tourists desecrated this holy Mosque and often embarrassed and ridicule Muslims while praying. Contrary to Muslim rights, Jews encroached on the Mosque and started using part of it for Jewish prayers. Against the protests of the Muslims of Hebron and the Islamic Higher Council in Jerusalem, Jewish authorities brought hundreds of benches and placed them in the Mosque. Jews built a roof on a part of the mosque, with the object of converting it into a Jewish synagogue.
On the 16th of November 1972 the Chairman of the Islamic Higher Council in Jerusalem, Sheikh Hilmi Al-Muhtasib, held a press conference outside Al Aqsa Mosque. As reported in the Jerusalem Post of November 17, 1972, Sheikh Al-Muhtasib stated: “Ever since the West Bank was occupied in June 1967, Jews have been forcing their way into Hebron’s Ibrahim Mosque, committing acts of provocation and being insensitive to the feelings of the Muslims, the shrine’s legitimate owners.” Sheikh Al-Muhtasib stated further “that the site was gradually being turned into a synagogue. The latest act of aggression at the Hebron shrine was the most serious in a list of trespasses committed since 1967.” In reply to a question, Sheikh Al-Muhtasib said: “Muslims did not oppose Jewish visits to the Hebron shrine, but were against Jews holding prayers on the site, which has been a mosque for the 14 centuries. There can be no compromise on this.”
During the first week of August 1975, the Jewish press published information that the Israeli cabinet had decided to introduce new arrangements for Jewish and Muslim prayers at the Muslim mosque. The new arrangements provided for the division of the Holy Site space-wise rather than time wise, as therefore. Two halls of the Mosque were to be reserved for Muslim prayers throughout the day, and there halls were to be used for Jewish prayers only.
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
A complaint was submitted to the United Nations Security Council on August 28, 1969, by twenty-four Muslim countries due to the attempt to burn Al Aqsa Mosque. Ambassador Mohammad El Farra of Jordan made a statement to the Council in which he stated:
Today, my delegation joins the 24 other members, representing 750 million adherents of the Moslem faith, which requested a meeting to consider another, more serious tragedy, namely of Al Aqsa Mosque, and the fire which severely damaged that historic Holy Place on the morning of 21 August 1969. The Israeli authorities introduced more than one explanation for the start of the fire and at last charged an Australian with the arson.
According to news that originated from Israel sources, the Australian suspect is a friend of Israel who was brought by the Jewish Agency to work for Israel. The Jewish Agency arranged for the Australian to work in a Kibbutz for some months, so that he could learn the Hebrew language and acquire more of the Zionist teaching. The report published in the Jerusalem Post- an Israeli semi-official newspaper-of 25 August 1969 concerning the life of this Australian in the Kibbutz and his dreams of building Solomon’s temple casts doubt on the case and adds to the fears and worries of the Moslems about their holy shrines; it also throws light on who is the criminal and who is the accomplice.
We have not forgotten statements in the early days of the 5 June 1967 Israeli occupation about the future of Jerusalem, nor have we forgotten the report of Menahem Borsh, which was published in Yediot Aharanot of 18 August, 1969, only three days before the burning of the Mosque, emphasizing that the Temple would be built anew in the same spot that “Strangers tried to seize”. The desecration of this holy Mosque by a group of the Bitar members only three days before the arson is a living example of Israeli motives and designs.
Let us see what did and what did not happen on Thursday, 21 August 1969. In the early hours of that morning fire broke out the Al Aqsa Mosque. Moslems praying in the Mosque and others rushed to the scene to remove some of the valuables in the Mosque and extinguish the fire. The Jordanian fire brigade in Jerusalem was called. Moslem religious leaders as well as Jordanian officials within the Israeli-occupied area came to the scene.
To the outside world news of the fire came in Arabic from Radio Israel at 8:30 a.m., that is, one hour and ten minutes after the fire started. The broad cast carried the news of the arson; it did not give any reason for the fire and did not say whether it was extinguished.
Meanwhile, Jordanian fire brigades from Ramallah, and even those from Al Khalil (Hebron) and Nablus, were sent to the scene- and we all know it takes an ordinary car more than one hour to reach Jerusalem from those two cities. With the help of those brigades and the co-operation of the local population, the fire was at last extinguished and contained.
According to Reuters, it took the fire brigades over five hours to extinguish the fire; this, to a certain extent, was substantiated by Israeli authorities. As stated at a press conference that same day by Teddy Kollek, the illegally appointed Mayor, and according to Radio Israel , it took them until 10:30 a.m. to extinguish the fire. We think Mr. Tekoah should have exchange notes with his authorities, with Radio Israel and Mr. Kollek, before coming here to say that it took about one hour. We find it took them until 10:30 to extinguish the fire.
Certainly Mr. Tekoah seems to disagree with the Israeli eyewitness who admitted that there was delay and tried to find justification for that delay. There was no doubt among the inhabitants and eyewitnesses that the arrival of the Israeli fire brigades, in short reach of the scene, was delayed and their job was unsatisfactory.
That same afternoon the commander of the fire brigades told the journalists that the pumping of water was working swiftly and in an orderly manner at the beginning but that eight minutes later something happened-the pumping of the water was interrupted and could not work as before. This is something for every member to ponder. The commander of the fire brigades reported that it had not been indicated whether that was due to a technical mishap or to a premeditated act. It must be remembered, however, that after the Israeli occupation the water system in the city was connected to the western part so that the Israelis would be in full control of the water system. This, among other things, elicited Sharp criticism and apprehension from Arab Mayor Rouhi El-Khatib and the former President of the Moslem Council, Abdul Hamid Es-Sayeh, both of whom were expelled from Jerusalem to the East Bank of Jordan.
Was Rohan, after all, acting on his own initiative? Was he not brought to Israel and sponsored by the Jewish Agency? Where did he get all the money which he offered to the guards of Al Aqsa on the morning of the fire and which the guards declined to take?
According to The Times of London, of 12 September 1969: “On Rohan’s way out he offered each 110 pounds sterling but they declined, Mr. Hilwani said.” The Sheikh, thinking there must be something wrong, then entered into the Mosque and rushed out crying”
“They have burnt the pulpit.” According to the same semi-official Israeli newspaper, The Jerusalem Post of 25 August 1969, Rohan’s foster-parents in the kibbutz said: “He never appeared to be short of money to us.”
After several meetings by the Security Council to discuss the complaint, it adopted on September 15, 1969, Resolution 271 (1969), which condemned the act of destruction and profanation of the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque. It states:
Resolution 271 (1969) of 15 September 1969
The Security Council,
Grieved at the extensive damage caused by arson to the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on 21 August 1969 under the military occupation of Israel.
Mindful of the consequent loss to human culture, Having heard the statements made before the Council reflecting the universal outrage caused by the act of sacrilege in one of the most venerated shrines of mankind, Recalling its resolution 252 (1968) of 21 May 1968 and 267 (1969) of 3 July 1969 and the earlier General Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V) of 4 and 14 July 1967, respectively, concerning measures and actions by Israel affecting the status of the City of Jerusalem.
Reaffirming the established principle that acquisition of territory by military conquest is inadmissible.
1.Reaffirms its resolution 252 (1968) and 267 (1969);
2. Recognizes that any act of destruction or profanation of the Holy Places, religious buildings and sites in Jerusalem or any encouragement of, or connivance at, any such act may seriously endanger international peace and security;
3. Determines that the execrable act of desecration and profanation of the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque emphasizes the immediate necessity of Israel’s desisting from acting forthwith all measures and actions taken by it designed to alter the status of Jerusalem;
4.Calls upon Israel scrupulously to observe the provisions of the Geneva Convention and international law governing military occupation and to refrain from causing any hindrance to the discharge of the established functions of the Supreme Moslem Council may desire from countries with predominantly Moslem population and from Moslem communities in relation to its plan for the maintenance and repair of the Islamic Holy Places in Jerusalem;
5. Condemns the failure of Israel to comply with the aforementioned resolutions and calls upon it to implement forthwith the provisions of these resolutions;
6.Reiterates the determination in paragraph 7 of resolution 267 (1969) that, in the event of a negative response or no response, the Security Council shall convene without delay to consider what further action should be taken in this matter;
7. Request the Secretary-general to follow closely the implementation of the present resolution and to report thereon to the Security Council at the earliest possible date.
Adopted at the 1512th meeting by 11 votes to none, with 4 abstentions (Columbia, Finland, Paraguay, United States of America.)
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
During the June 1967 war, the Israelis bombarded the Holy City of Jerusalem. The central gate of Al Aqsa mosque was shattered. One of the Al Aqsa minarets received a direct hit and its dome was damaged. After the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, Israelis held demonstrations, dancing festivals and immoral parties in the sacred area of Haram Al-Sherif. The gates of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque were opened for Jewish tourists of both sexes with their dogs. Men and women entered these holy places dressed in shorts and committed acts of indecency, disrespect and desecration.
Israel dynamited 135 buildings and Mosques owned by Muslim Waqfs in old Jerusalem in order to clear the way for a square in front of Al Buraq, the Western Wall of Al Aqsa Mosque.
On August 26, 1967, fourteen Muslim and Christian leaders of Jerusalem submitted a memorandum to the personal representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in which they described the desecration by Israelis of Muslim and Christian Holy Places. Paragraph 7 of that memorandum states:
The Israeli authorities did not respect the sanctity of Muslim and Christian religious shrines and thus forced the custodian of the Holy Places to close some of the churches. Moreover, the Chief Rabbi of the Israeli army. Brigadier Goren, conducted a prayer, together with some followers, in the Haram Al-Sherif (Holy Mosque), thus blatantly offending Muslim susceptibilities and infringing upon their established rights, while the Minister for religions in Israel announced that the Muslim Mosque is Jewish property, and that sooner or later they will rebuild their temple there. Finally, the Minister of religious Affairs announced its intention of expanding the Wailing Wall area by destroying some of the Muslim buildings surrounding it, and constructing a synagogue there, in contravention of the status quo, and in an outright violation of the rights of Muslims and Muslim Waqf.
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
• Newspapers, broadcasts and reports from Jerusalem indicated that the Israeli excavations around the holy Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock were continuing and that they threaten to cause cracks and bring down both temples.
• The Jerusalem Post, in its 4,406th edition of August 22, 1981, reported that archaeological teams belonging to the Israeli military occupation authorities were carrying out excavations aimed at discovering the tombs of the kings of Israel.
• The Israeli military occupation radio reported on the morning of Thursday, August 27, 1981, that the two Chief Rabbis in occupied Palestine had visited a tunnel discovered recently under the Wailing Wall– i.e., the Holy Bozak– leading to a sensitive area– i.e., the Sacred Shrine. The next morning, on August 28, the enemy radio announced that the Islamic Organization at Jerusalem had asked the occupation authorities to allow its engineers to explore the site of the tunnel, and to undertake the necessary measures in the light of their discovery. The broadcast further said that the tunnel was no more than an old well and that it had been discovered well over a month earlier.
• The Jerusalem Post reported in its edition of August 28 details of the tunnel excavations carried out a month earlier by a task force belonging to the Israeli Ministry of Religions. The report added that the excavations had begun a century ago, and that a room had been built there for a synagogue. The report further said that the excavations extended for some distance under the Sacred Shrine, and that they were meant to reach the Dome of the Rock.
• The construction engineer of the holy Al Aqsa Mosque, Essam Awaad, released a later report concerning the digging of the tunnel. The report revealed that the excavations started down below the western wall of the sacred shrine in the place known as Matthara, between Sleselah and Kattanin gates, and extended 25 meters east at a depth of 6 meters, reaching a place in front of Kaitbai fountain facing the western part of the Dome of the Rock.
• These excavations, it has been noted, surround the sacred shrine and the Al Aqsa Mosque from the south and the Dome of the Rock from the west. These excavations are an extension of their counterparts and of the incessant encroachment on Islamic cultural buildings adjacent to the western and southern walls of the sacred shrine, as well as the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
• Regardless of the dispute between the religious communities and the Israeli military governors on the site of the first excavations and their allegations that they are the burial places of the ancient kings of Israel and, regardless of their claim that the tunnel they had discovered in the second place was no more than an old well, the Israeli excavations in the said area constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the holy Islamic sites and persistently threaten to bring them down, thus paving the way for their demolition and the setting up of a shrine for Judaism in their stead and in the courtyards of the sacred shrine thereof.
• These excavations constitute a challenge to the Arab and Islamic worlds, and constitute constant violations of the Hague and Geneva Conventions as well as the resolutions of UNESCO, the Security Council and the entire United Nations, and hence deserve attention and action on all levels.
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
Reports concerning the following criminal acts by the Israelis were taken from the records of the Islamic Higher Council in Jerusalem:
March 2, 1982 Armed Jewish settlers and students from Kiryat Arba raided the Al Aqsa Mosque from the Silsilah gate, after assaulting the guards. One was injured•
March 30, 1982 Jewish terrorists called the Temple Mount Faithful group, accompanied by two Knesset members, Guela Cohen and Ben Porat, entered the Al Aqsa Mosque yard in a provocative manner•
April 3, 1982 A group of Jewish terrorists tried to raid the Al Aqsa Mosque from the Dung Gate, but were prevented by Waqf (religious Trust) guards. One of the guards was shot•
April 8, 1982 The Temple Mount Faithful group of Jewish terrorists placed a fake bomb and a threatening letter in front of the Aqsa Mosque door. The bomb consisted of a transistor radio and a timing device. The guard of the mosque found and dismantled it•
April 11, 1982 An Israeli soldier, American-born Allan Goodman, entered the Dome of the Rock Mosque and started firing shots randomly. One person was killed and dozens were injured•
May 12, 1982 A sergeant from the Jerusalem municipal police trespassed on Al Aqsa Mosque land. He claimed he was trying to verify allegations made by Geula Cohen that there were illegal buildings in the Mosque area•
May 22, 1982 Jewish terrorists entered the Haram al Sharif area, distributing leaflets and inciting Jews to go to Pray in the Al Aqsa Mosque area
June 4, 1982 Terrorist Jews sent a letter to the Islamic Council threatening the demolition of Al Aqsa Mosque•
July 7, 1982 The Temple Mount Faithful Jewish terrorist group entered the Mosque yard to hold a demonstration in support of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon•
July 28, 1982 Armed Jewish Yeshiva students seized three apartments near the Al Aqsa Mosque, and left only after they were ordered to evacuate by police•
March 5, 1982 An explosive charge was found on the road leading to the Al Aqsa Mosque, near the entrance of Bab al Majles•
January 14, 1984 Israeli tourist guides handed out false maps to tourists showing two Jewish altars in place of the two mosques on Haram al Sharif•
January 27, 1984 At night a group of terrorist Jews entered the mosque with explosives, intending to blow up Al Aqsa Mosque•
March 24, 1984 An terrorist Jewish group publicly declared its intention to perform the Passover prayers and animal sacrifice in the Al Aqsa Mosque•
March 29, 1984 The Israeli Archaeological Department of the Ministry of Religion constructed a tunnel, one meter in length, two meters wide and ten meters deep, near the western part of the Al Aqsa Mosque near the Dung Gate. The tunnel endangered the Islamic Council Building•
April 23, 1984 Terrorist Jews entered the Al Aqsa Mosque yard, holding weapons, during the prayer time. They proceeded to commit immoral and indecent acts on the holy site•
September 25, 1984 Members of the Temple Mount Faithful Jewish terrorist group attempted to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque yard to pray, but were prevented by Waqf guards•
January 8, 1986 Some Knesset members accompanied by other extremist Jews tried to hold prayers in the Al Aqsa Mosque yard•
January 9, 1986 The Temple Mount Faithful terrorist Jews entered the Al Aqsa Mosque yard, after hoisting the Israeli flag at the Dung Gate. Police removed the flag•
January 14, 1986 When Rabbi Eliezer Waldman trespassed into the Al Aqsa Mosque yard, hundreds of Muslim youth demonstrated against his entry. Military forces used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and arrested 19 persons•
January 19, 1986 The Kach movement, led by Meir Kahane, violently attempted to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque yard. They were prevented by border guards, and detained for one hour and then released•
May 12, 1988 Israeli soldiers opened fire on a peaceful Muslim march at the Haram, killing and wounding about 100 Palestinians•
August 8, 1990 The Israeli authorities committed a grisly massacre at the Al Aqsa Mosque, killing 22 worshippers and injuring over 200.
July 25, 1995 The Israeli High Court of Justice allows Jews to pray at the “Temple Mount”, sparking widespread protests among Muslims.
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
The United Nations Security Council was convened in April, 1981, to discuss the new attack and desecration by
Zionists of the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque. Dr. Hazem Nusseibeh, the Ambassador of Jordan, described the attack in his statement to the Council in its meeting of April 13, 1982. The following are excerpts of the statement:
On Sunday, 11 April, at 9:20 a.m., a gang of armed Israeli troops directed heavy fire from various directions at the Al Aqsa Mosque…
That Israeli carnage was carried out to give cover to an Israeli soldier– or is he an American? He is in fact both– by the name of Alan Harry Goodman, who was on a murderous journey of death and desecration. He killed in cold blood a 65-year old unarmed Arab guard at the Magharba– Moroccan Gate– evidently unchallenged by the armed Israeli trooper who sits there. He murdered in cold blood two other unarmed guardians and seriously wounded a third at the entrance to the Dome of the Rock, opened up his fire-arms at the worshippers in every direction, for a duration of half an hour. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that he had a large stock of ammunition on his shoulders, to murder the maximum number of devout worshippers and civilians in the vicinity. Having murdered nine and wounded 40 other in the Mosque, this Israeli-American criminal directed his fire at the Al-Minbar– pulpit– the chandeliers, the mosaic, the marble and the carpets, some of which caught fire. The casualties in that premeditated and well-planned assault totaled at least 100 inside and outside the holy Mosque.
Fearful that the highly provoked victims would capture that gutter terrorist, his accomplices– the Israeli so-called anti-riot police– imposed a total curfew on that historic and ancient City, demolished a part of one of the walls of the holy sanctuary, stormed the Dome of the Rock and ensured the safety of the criminal by firing at the crowd, and then whisked him away to safety in a closed military van…
The Islamic Council in Jerusalem, which has called a seven-day strike throughout the occupied territories, denounced a statement issued Sunday by the office of Prime Minister Menachem Begin which described the Israeli soldier as mentally ill. The criminal, Alan Harry Goodman, formerly of Baltimore, was inducted into the army last month for a brief service customary for immigrants. Of course, he has dual nationality.
The Higher Islamic Council said it was absurd of the Prime Minister’s office to describe the assailant as deranged, because soldiers were supposed to undergo physical examinations. Moreover, the Higher Islamic Council added, the assailant was not alone. It asserted that he had been covered during his attack by fire from many directions. How else could he have continued his shooting spree within the Dome of the Rock for half an hour until he had expended all his bullets?
The Zionist designs against the Islamic Holy Sanctuary are long and infamous. A chronology survey of these activities includes the following:
1.Continuous and sustained deep digging under the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Holy Sanctuary as a whole– structures which are 14 centuries old– began immediately after the Zionist occupation of the Holy City, in addition to the demolition of hundreds of buildings in the area adjacent to it. These deep diggings have reached such depths that entire structures are threatened with collapse.
2.On 21 August, 1969 the Zionists carried out a plot of arson to set the entire Al Aqsa Mosque on fire. The arsonist, Michael Rohan, a Zionist Australian, was declared deranged– not unlike the person in question today– and sent to Australia.
3.On 9 May 1980, 120 kilos of high explosives, scores of bombs, wires and other explosive contraptions were accidentally discovered a mere few minutes away from the time of detonation on the roof of a Jewish school in the Old City, 150 yards away from the target. The Gush Emunim terrorist movement was behind the plan, which aimed at blowing up the Al Aqsa Mosque and other historical buildings. The day was a Friday and tens of thousands of worshippers might have been killed or maimed if that arsenal of explosives had not been accidentally discovered two minutes before explosion.
4.Repeated attempts by Israeli groups to force their way into mosques of the holy sanctuary, leading to numerous clashes.
5.Last year, the Israeli Gush Emunim started digging a tunnel leading to the Dome of the Rock. The attempt was discovered and foiled by the civilian inhabitants.
6.7 April, 1982– that is, three days before the Easter Sunday massacre– explosive charges placed by (Gush Emunim) were discovered at the entrance to the Al Aqsa Mosque and dismantled. Beside the charges were pamphlets threatening to blow up the Al Aqsa Mosque and physically liquidate the religious dignitaries. The threats were written in broken Arabic and issued from the Kiryat Arba illegal settlement overlooking the City of Al-Khalil (Hebron).
(New York Times correspondent David Shipler revealed the following on 12 April 1982, p.12). He said, referring to the Israeli troops, that “Just before going, one of them, with a laugh, threw a tear gas grenade near the (Al Aqsa) Mosque upwind of the main door. Smoke from the perfectly placed canister blew into the mosque, and worshippers came out coughing and wiping their eyes. One elderly man was carried to an ambulance. A few of the troops walked away laughing.”
If the spot is as sacred to those troops as they claim it is, it is truly incongruous that the soldiers would have behaved with that bellicose and nauseating meanness…
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
Some Christian American evangelists and Jewish terrorists have formed an organization with the name 
The Jerusalem Temple Foundation. It has an address in Los Angeles, California, and in Jerusalem. The Board of Directors of this foundation are the following: Terry Risenhoover, Chairman of the Board, is Chairman of Alaska Land Leasing Inc., of Los Angeles, California; Douglas Krieger, Executive Director of Jerusalem Temple Foundation and of Alaska Land Leasing Inc., of Los Angeles, California; Dr. Charles E. Monroe, President, is President of the Center of Judeo-Christian studies, of Poway, California; Dr. Hilton Sutton, Director, is Chairman of Mission to America, of Humble, texas; Dr. James DeLoach, Director, is Pastor of the Second Baptist Church, of Houston, Texas; and Stanley Goldfoot is a Jew from South Africa. He was a member of the Irgun Z’vai Leumi and was one of the four terrorists who placed the bombs in 1946 under the King David Hotel and caused the massacre of the King David Hotel.
The contemplated projects of this foundation as they appear in a brochure printed by it are the following: “1. Jewish Temple Foundation office at the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem. 2. The establishment of a Temple Mount area in Jerusalem. 3. Assistance in land and buildings redemption by Jews in Israel. 4. Freedom for Jews and Christians to worship on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 5. The use of geophysical methods for archaeological surveys in Jerusalem. 6. Preparations for the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. 7. Preparation of films and video presentations related to the Temple Mount. 8. Other projects as necessary and as funds are made available.”
Source: Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
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