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October 30, 2014

Israel Closes Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound After Shooting of Far-Right Activist 
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Israel has shut down the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of
Jerusalem for the first time in 14 years following the shooting of an
Israeli far-right activist. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
condemned the closure as a "declaration of war on the Palestinian
people." The site, known by Jews as the Temple Mount, houses both the
mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Jamal Tawfiq, a resident of Jerusalem,
said he was turned away after arriving for his morning prayers.

Jamal Tawfiq: "This is a collective punishment [for something] we had
nothing to do with. This is injustice. There's no fair government here.
Justice should be the basis for governance. But there is no justice
here. A problem happens with a person over there, they close the mosque
here. Why is it OK to allow Jews to go pray at the Wailing Wall without
any harassment, while a Palestinian is killed every day? Every day, a
Palestinian is killed. Every day, holy olive trees are burned and pulled
out because they belong to Arab Palestinians. Why are we the ones being
punished?"

On Wednesday night, U.S.-born activist Yehuda Glick was shot and wounded
outside a conference on promoting Jewish access to the Al-Aqsa site,
where he and others want to build a Jewish temple. Hours later, Israeli
police shot and killed a Palestinian suspect in the shooting, who they
said resisted arrest.

 

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