Israel Bans Academic Program Promoting Demolition of ‘Dome of the Rock’ Mosque

A general view shows part of Jerusalem's Old City and the Dome of the Rock December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
A general view shows part of Jerusalem's Old City and the Dome of the Rock December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
TT

Israel Bans Academic Program Promoting Demolition of ‘Dome of the Rock’ Mosque

A general view shows part of Jerusalem's Old City and the Dome of the Rock December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
A general view shows part of Jerusalem's Old City and the Dome of the Rock December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The Israeli Education Ministry decided to remove the “Student for the Temple Mount” group from the academic program in Jewish schools.

The group include activists who support the establishment of the "Third Temple" (the Jewish Temple) on the ruins of Omar Mosque (Dome of the Rock in Al Aqsa Mosque)

The decision followed leaked information that the group is setting up a topic called "Knowing the Importance of the Temple Mount," which speaks of the Aqsa as the Temple Mount

The topic points out that the Dome of the Rock Mosque replaced the Jewish temple and must be rebuilt in its original place, which means an explicit call to demolish the mosque.

According to Israel’s Channel 10 TV report, the program is made by the far right-wing movement "Im Tirtzu.”

The report said that this movement is broadcasting to school students the controversial agenda of the Temple Mount and its activists.

The group is linked to the banned Kahane gang, which calls for the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from their homeland and the cleansing of Israel of non-Jews.

Many organizations were established from this group, and they have carried out practical activities to spread despair among Palestinians to leave and carried out terror operations, during which Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem were burnt.

They also published maps of the Temple Mount, removing the Dome of the Rock’s picture from them and replacing it with the Jewish Temple.

In addition to that, a cannon was also seized on the roof of a house in Jerusalem, and its nozzle was pointed towards the Aqsa Mosque.

This group was banned from the Israeli law because of the seriousness of its racist rhetoric, but its activists knew how to continue their activity and promote their ideas in other contexts.



Erdogan Says Willing to Hold Summit with Putin, Assad to Normalize Ties with Damascus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
TT

Erdogan Says Willing to Hold Summit with Putin, Assad to Normalize Ties with Damascus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that he may invite his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad for a summit in Ankara. He did not specify a date.

Speaking to reporters on his return flight from a visit to Astana, he added that the summit may “kick off a new phase”, adding that Ankara was seeking to normalize ties with Damascus to prevent elections from being held in regions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces.

Erdogan met with Putin in Astana on Wednesday.

They discussed the conflict in Syria in wake of Russia’s latest efforts to resume talks to normalize ties between Ankara and Damascus.

Türkiye is seeking Moscow and Damascus’ support to prevent the August elections from being held. It did not turn to the United States, a backer of the SDF and its People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Turkish sources said the US, despite its opposition to the elections, will not abandon the establishment of a Kurdish state near Türkiye's southern border – a move Ankara vehemently opposes.

On Syria, Erdogan said last week that he was prepared to hold talks with Assad and restore Turkish-Syrian relations “to the way they were.”

He added that he had previously met with Assad and had “no problem” meeting with him again.

Assad had told Russian presidential envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev that his country was open to all initiatives that could normalize ties with Ankara.

Such ties should recognize the Syrian state’s sovereignty over all its territories and its fight against all forms of terrorism, he added.