Haniyah says no agreement without Jerusalem, PLC warn Israelis to stop attacks and excavations near Al-Aqsa Mosque

Haniyah: no agreement without Jerusalem, city of the Arabs

Date: 21 / 08 / 2008 Time: 17:37
Gaza – Ma'an –

Any agreement that includes giving up Jerusalem is not an agreement that Palestinian Prime Minister of the de facto government in Gaza Ismail Haniyah will abide by, he said Thursday.

Israel can not take over Jerusalem, Haniyah said in a speech in Gaza City, insisting that it will always be an Arab and Islamic place despite ongoing efforts to limit Arab and Muslim presence in the city.

Any agreement with Israel, Haniyah elaborated, must include acceptable terms for refugees and all parts of the Palestinian territories. No agreement that takes away Palestinian sovereignty will be accepted, he said.

Haniyah greeted Palestinian residents of Israel during his speech, and said that he considers them to be the guardians of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque. Palestinians in Israel, he continued, headed by Shaikh Raed Salah the representative for Palestinians in Israel to the Israeli government, will be the defenders of Jerusalem until a final agreement is reached.

"We confirm today," he concluded, "that we will not give up the city of Jerusalem, and any agreement asking us to do so has already failed."

PLC: Jerusalem is not negotiable; stop attacks and excavations

Date: 21 / 08 / 2008 Time: 12:56
Gaza – Ma'an –

The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) said that it would not support any negotiations with Israel until they halt their current policy of "judaizing" Jerusalem, and continued digging under the Al-Aqsa mosque.

In their second day of meetings Thursday, the PLC called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to halt all negotiations with Israel. The council stated that “Jerusalem is an Arab and Islamic city and a verse of holy Qur'an which no one can give it up or negotiate on”.

“Jerusalem and Palestine are not only for Palestinians," the PLC statement continued, "but for the entire Arab and Islamic nation." The council called on Palestinian people to unite against Israeli ‘attack’ on the holy city.

The PLC presidency called on the Arab and Muslim worlds, the Arab league and Islamic convention organization to keep up their historical, national and religious responsibility towards Jerusalem city and Al-Aqsa mosque.

The PLC statement echoed statements made Wednesday by the Islamic Christian Front, and last week by Islamic Jihad leader Ibrahim Al-Najjar. Both questioned current excavations carried out by Israel beneath the Mughrabi Gate ramp near the Western Wall and the Noble Sanctuary (Al-Haram Al-Sharif) compound where the Al-Aqsa mosque sits.

The ramp to the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the razed Mughrabi quarter was damaged by an earthquake and heavy winter rains in 2004. Reconstruction of the ramp caused a great deal of uproar when it began without consulting the Muslim population of Jerusalem. The initial plan hoped to expand the women's prayer area in the Western Wall compound below the Noble Sanctuary, and also began excavating ancient artifacts from the area beneath the old ramp.

Concern over Israel's plans for Jerusalem have been prevalent ever since Israel razed the Mughrabi Quarter - an 800 year old neighbourhood that stood where the Western Wall compound now is - when they took control over the area in 1967. The actions feed rumours in 1969 when the Al-Aqsa Mosque was set on fire.

The arson was the act of an extremist Australian Christian hoping to hurry the coming of the messiah, but widespread fears that Israel would destroy the area lead to rumours that the man was enticed to set fire to the structure by Israeli authorities.

Thursday 21 August 2008 marks the 39th anniversary of the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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