Palestinian political and religious officials have challenged the Israeli authorities and asserted that Bab al-Rahma, the eastern gate of al-Aqsa mosque, will remain open despite a court decision to close it.
The director of al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, stressed Tuesday that the Bab al-Rahma area is an integral part of al-Aqsa Mosque and is not subject to the decisions of the Israeli courts, and accordingly will remain open.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, also announced that Bab al-Rahma will note be closed again.
Last week, the Jerusalem Police petitioned the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court requesting an extension to keep Bab al-Rahma closed, and sent a letter to the Islamic Endowments Department asking to close the gate permanently.
The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem (Waqf) responded by saying it does not refer to Israeli courts because they do not have the authority and do not have the power to rule on the Mosque ever since the 1967 occupation of the city.
The Israeli court’s decision is the latest in the tension between the Israeli authorities and the Palestinians who forcibly opened the gate last year after 16 years of its closure.
In response, Israel arrested a number of Palestinians ordering political and religious officials to stay away from the mosque. However, Jordan, the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, denounced the decision to permanently close the gate.
So Hamas warned that any attack on al-Aqsa Mosque means war, stressing that the occupation will pay for its “encroachment” on the mosque.
Hamas issued a statement on the third anniversary of “al-Asbat Gate Uprising”, stressing that “this dangerous plan will not go ahead”, praising Jerusalemites who are confronting Israeli plots to empty the Mosque of Palestinians.
Hamas accused Israel of Judaizing the Mosque and turning it into a synagogue, reiterating that this dangerous “Zionist conspiracy would not be carried out.”
The movement also called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League to take action to stop the looming threat to al-Aqsa Mosque, and to prevent Israel from achieving its objectives.
The Islamic organizations in East Jerusalem rejected the Israeli court ruling to close the Bab al-Rahma prayer area, stressing that everything within the holy compound is purely Islamic, and Israel has no rights or authority over it.
“Bab al-Rahma prayer area is an integral part of the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, which is for Muslims alone by a divine right and not subject for negotiations or concession of even a grain of its soil,” said the organizations in a statement.
They stressed that the Mosque is not subject to any decision by courts regardless of their status or any political decision, adding, “Muslims do not accept or recognize these illegal occupation decisions, and therefore will not abide by them.”
“The occupation decisions are contrary to freedom of worship and contrary to international laws and norms,” said the statement.