Ramallah: Israeli attacks on the Bab Al-Rahma Chapel in the Al-Aqsa Mosque have drawn criticism from the Palestinians, who claim that the building has been vandalised and that worshippers are routinely subjected to abuse and threats.
Bab Al-Rahma is a crucial component of Al-Aqsa, according to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, and only Muslims have the authority to manage its affairs.
Israel must stop taking items out of the chapel and damaging it, he continued.
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Extremist settler groups on Wednesday carried out religious rituals and hoisted Israeli flags in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to Ramzi Khoury, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee.
He called the Israeli actions "unprecedented aggression against the sanctity of Al-Aqsa, a desecration of its religious status, and a provocation to Muslims all over the world."
Attacks by Israeli forces on Bab Al-Rahma repeatedly would not grant Israel sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque or Jerusalem because "it is an occupied Palestinian city with its Islamic and Christian sanctities according to the relevant international legitimacy resolutions," he added.
The Palestinian National Council's president, Rawhi Fattouh, pleaded with the world to put a stop to the "criminal madness" of the Israeli government and its National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
According to Fattouh, the raids were an egregious violation of places of worship and an effort to give the conflict a religious undertone, "which would ignite the region and detonate the situation."
A member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council named Osama Al-Qawasmi claimed that the "cowardly and provocative attack on Bab Al-Rahma was only a part of the systematic Israeli campaign to Judaize Jerusalem."
Israeli vandalism, according to Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, confirmed that the extremist government was looking for ways to blow things up.
He declared that destructive policies "seek to destroy any regional or global effort to provide stability and prevent the worsening of the situation."
Israel, according to Abu Rudeineh, was playing with fire because the chapel was an essential component of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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In connection with searches in the area, Israeli police stormed Bab Al-Rahma on Wednesday for a fourth straight day. Earlier, police damaged the chapel's installations and turned off the electricity.
After being shut down by Israeli authorities for 16 years, the Gate of Mercy chapel was finally able to reopen to Palestinians in February 2019.
Around 1,300 years ago, the Umayyads constructed Bab Al-Rahma Chapel as a common entrance between the eastern Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Jerusalem Wall.
Immediately following Israel's 1967 occupation of Al-Aqsa, the site fell into disrepair. After the Islamic Heritage Committee began conducting religious and social activities there in 1992, it underwent a remarkable recovery. However, the 2003 events were outlawed by Israeli authorities, who also completely shut down the chapel.
Israeli police have entered the prayer hall wearing shoes for the past three years. Additionally, police have positioned a monitoring station above the chapel and another close by.
According to Azzam Al-Khatib, director of the Islamic Waqf Department, which is connected to Jordan and in charge of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israeli police have been raiding Bab Al-Rahma two or three times per day since Eid Al-Fitr.
We are aware of the extremists' avarice regarding Bab Al-Rahma and Al-Aqsa, so Al-Khatib claimed that they do not view it as a chapel but rather as a regular location in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
According to him, Israeli authorities had no right to meddle in the affairs of Bab Al-Rahma because it is a part of Al-Aqsa.
The chapel, which required urgent internal and external repairs, had been denied restoration work by Israeli authorities, according to Omar Al-Kiswani, director of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli police frequently harassed worshippers by threatening to expel them, searching their bags, and seizing food supplies and balloons intended for distribution to children.
In addition, he claimed, they prohibit the use of wooden barriers to separate rows of men from women during prayers and frequently seize shoe racks.
Extremist Jews want to turn the chapel into a synagogue because they think the "awaited messiah" will pass through Bab Al-Rahma at the end of time. Their hopes were dashed by its recent opening, though.
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According to Al-Kiswani, the intruders attempted to sever the chapel's connection to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He did add that given the previous strong Palestinian response, the Israeli authorities are unlikely to shut down the chapel once more.