Hamas: Israel's gift to US Ambassador is incitement

The Hamas movement has criticised the reaction of the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, when he received a picture of the city of Jerusalem. The picture depicts a temp on the ruins of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas called the gift a blatant incitement to demolish the mosque.

Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for the movement, said in a statement that Anadolu got a copy of, “This is  racist behaviour that reflects the seriousness of the American partnership with the Israeli occupation in the aggression and the religious war against the sanctities of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nation as a whole.”

What's missing in this photo of Jerusalem that US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is looking at? The Dome of the Rock & Al-Aqsa Mosque. Removing the Islamic holy sites is a long-term goal of far-right Israeli Jewish extremists who want to erase Palestinians from Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/Y0AnKbAm2B

— IMEU (@theIMEU) May 22, 2018

Barhoum asserted that “this requires serious Arab and Islamic response and steps to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and strengthen the steadfastness of our people in Jerusalem.”He called for “the need to work on adopting a strong and effective strategy against all American and Israeli plans that target our people, their rights and their sanctities.”

Read: Hamas calls for a new national council under Egyptian auspices

This came in response to a picture of Friedman, shot yesterday, which shows him smiling when he received a gift consisting of a large picture of the city of Jerusalem but without Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was replaced by the Jewish temple.The picture was taken during a visit by Friedman to the city of Bnei Brak (central Israel).

The US embassy in Tel Aviv said in a press statement, that Ambassador Friedman “was not aware of the content of the picture that was in front of him when the picture was taken.”

It added: “US policy is clear: we support the status quo in the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount.”

1/2 Ambassador Friedman was not aware of the image thrust in front of him when the photo was taken. He was deeply disappointed that anyone would take advantage of his visit to Bnei Brak to create controversy.

— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) May 22, 2018