crowd celebrating

Palestine: Al Aqsa closure, dispute sparks fury

Israel’s “security measures”, including installing metal detectors at Haram Al Sharif — which contains the Al Aqsa mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites — were finally rescinded on July 27 amid growing protests. But Palestinians continue to face unprecedented levels of surveillance and harassment.

On the night of July 27, Israeli security forces clashed with Palestinians who returned to the site to pray for the first time in nearly two weeks since Israel shut down the mosque.

The Guardian reported the next day: “Scenes of jubilation inside one of the city’s most revered sites had greeted the early morning removal of all additional security measures imposed on the site by Israeli security forces, following days of Palestinian street protests over the devices.

“But the celebrations turned to scenes of chaos in the evening as Israeli police threw stun grenades in a narrow lane outside one of the mosque’s main entrances. Israeli police said they responded after stones were thrown at officers at the gates to the site.

 

Read the full article by Lisa Gleeson at Green Left Weekly.