Israelis detain Sharia students as extremist politician violates sanctity of Al-Aqsa

Israeli occupation forces detained Palestinian students from the Sharia schools inside the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday. Seven female students were arrested in the wake if the visit to the third holiest site in Islam by extreme right-wing politician Moshe Figlin, a clear violation of the sanctity of the compound.

The Likud Beiteinu bloc extremist was protected by a large security force during his visit, no doubt intended to provoke a reaction from Muslims. The Second (Al-Aqsa) Intifada erupted after a similarly provocative visit to Al-Aqsa by Ariel Sharon in 2000.

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Al-Aqsa Foundation for Heritage and Religious Endowments denounced the visit and detention of the students as another “Israeli crime”. The students were taken to Al-Qashleh Security Centre; six were released later but one was kept in detention to appear in court on Wednesday, a statement from the Foundation revealed.

According to Al-Aqsa Foundation, an Israeli bulldozer has been demolishing the wall of an old Islamic building on the northern side of Al-Buraq Wall, 50 metres from the Al-Aqsa courtyard. A statement said that this is part of Israel’s Judaisation policy in the Holy City of Jerusalem, targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings. It called for the Muslim leaders meeting in Cairo to agree on practical steps to stop Israel’s “desecration” of the Islamic sites in Jerusalem.

In Hebron, meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces arrested a 17-year old Palestinian girl in the Ibrahimi Mosque; she was identified as Heyam Al-Rajabi. Witnesses said that the Israeli soldiers beat the young woman and took her to an unknown destination. Miss Al-Rajabi was the second girl to be detained in the Mosque in the past two days.

The Israeli destruction of Palestinian infrastructure continued apace on Wednesday. A number of greenhouses, rainwater collection pools and cisterns were destroyed by Israeli occupation forces in the village of Hadab al-Fawwar near Hebron. Farmland was also damaged by the huge armoured bulldozers used in the operation.