The representative expelled from the city of Jerusalem, Ahmed Attoun, said that what is happening in the city of Jerusalem against our Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, is an open war by the Israeli occupation against our existence and our sanctities.

Attoun considered that the occupation’s attacks in Jerusalem targeted the living, the dead, people, stones, and graves, denouncing everything “so that we hardly recognize the features of our city in which we lived and grew up due to the severity of the accelerating Judaization projects against it.”

Daily war
He explained that the occupation plans in Jerusalem and the vicinity of Al-Aqsa are announced almost daily by building new settlement units, confiscating lands, trying to seize real estate, trying to restrict people, and opening occupying institutions in which no one wants to dispute them.

He added that the occupation seeks to impose the Israeli curriculum in Jerusalem schools in an attempt to attack our memory and past.

He pointed out that during the last year there were plans for settlement construction in the Jabal Mukaber area, and new laws were imposed against Al-Aqsa Mosque, restoration attempts therein, and the entry of worshipers and employees.

Regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque, he stressed that the raids by herds of settlers and the performance of their Talmudic and Biblical rituals in its courtyards come in accordance with a systematic policy in which all occupation institutions agree in a competition for time to implement these plans and impose facts on the ground.

He pointed out that “any intrusion into the mosque is approved by the security institution that protects these intrusions, the legislative institution legitimizes them, and the judiciary protects these intrusions, all of which work according to a complete and integrated system to impose these facts on the ground against our sanctities, our existence, and our history.”

A call for alert
MP Al-Maqdisi said that the occupation’s extremist statements to change facts in Al-Aqsa Mosque reflect the state of Israeli society that produced this reality and express the vision of the occupying institution.

He added: “In my estimation, the occupation sees the conditions as very favorable to implement these projects and events on the city of Jerusalem, because there is Arab silence, international complicity, Palestinian silence, and a failure to invest in the pressure cards we have as an Arab and Islamic nation to pressure the occupation.”

He continued: “Until now, we have not invested what we have on the diplomatic, economic, and popular levels to curb the occupation’s rage against Jerusalem, whether it is related to the sanctities or the human beings who are exhausted by the occupation’s attacks on Jerusalemites, and Al-Maqdisi stands alone in his battle without real support except for a few that do not rise to the level of the challenge.”

He called on everyone to mobilize to defend our sanctities, our identity, our presence, and our memory in Jerusalem, stressing the need for concerted efforts officially, popularly, and institutionally.

He added: “We are the owners of the right, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa are ours, and they are part of our faith, our past, our present and our future, and part of the nation’s faith, and the entire nation must mobilize in order to defend its sanctities, existence and dignity.”

He also called on our people in Jerusalem and the occupied interior for greater unity, steadfastness, and presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that “our real battle in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa is a battle of existence and steadfastness until the occupation ends, God willing.”

Open life
Regarding the prisoners inside the occupation prisons, Representative Attoun stressed that their morale is high, but they need freedom, calling on everyone to do everything possible to release them, noting that there is a real attack being launched on the prisoner movement inside the prisons.

He said that administrative detention is a sword hanging over the necks of our people, their leaders, elites, cadres, and intellectuals, stressing the need “for there to be a serious movement in order to curb the rage of the occupation in this violation, which was called open life.”

He continued: “I spent 17 years, including more than 9 years in administrative detention, and many more prisoners than that without any charge. Soon you are released and you return under the pretext of secret files, through which the occupation works to limit the movement of any person who feels that he will work to Confronting the occupation and exposing its practices.”

He stated that the deputies detained inside the prisons now are Sheikh Muhammad Abu Tir, 73 years old and spent nearly 40 years, and the leading Sheikh Hassan Youssef, Dr. Nasser Abdel Hawad, Marwan Barghouthi and Ahmed Saadat.

He called for there to be a comprehensive and unified stand to confront the occupation, and the issue of prisoners is a priority for all Palestinians, officially, our people, popularly, and institutionally.