Israeli-Palestinian conflict (41 Viewers)
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Israeli police, settlers storm Al-Aqsa compound
A number of Jewish settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Wednesday following clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers inside the complex, a Palestinian official said.
"The Israeli police allowed the settlers to storm the compound and are now providing protection for their tour," Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of the Organization for Muslim Endowments and Al-Aqsa Affairs, a Palestinian NGO, told Anadolu Agency.
The intrusion came following violent clashes, during which scores of Palestinian worshippers were injured.
"At least 15 Palestinian were injured by rubber bullets, including two in the head and one in the eye, while dozens suffered teargas inhalation," a Palestinian guard of the holy complex told AA.
According to the guard, as many as 60 Israeli troops stormed into the compound's courtyards through Al-Magharbeh and Al-Silsila gates and began shooting randomly towards the worshipers.
The violence came as several extremist Jewish groups called for mass intrusions into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday to mark the passage of one week after the shooting of extremist rabbi Yehuda Glick in Jerusalem by a Palestinian man.
"The Israeli forces are trying to evacuate as many Muslims as possible from the Al-Aqsa compound to facilitate the entry of settlers," Sheikh Omar al-Qiswani, the Palestinian director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, told AA.
He added that ten heavily-armed soldiers stormed Al-Qibali Mosque inside the compound and reached Saladin Minbar (Pulpit).
"Israeli forces closed the mosque with iron chains to secure settlers' intrusion," he added.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted that police forces dispersed "rioters, using stun grenades only."
"Situation on Temple Mount quiet after disturbances," and it is now open for visitors, he added using the Jewish term for the holy complex.
The Israeli authorities usually use the term "visitor" to refer to Jewish settlers who frequently force their way into the holy site.
Eyewitnesses also said that Israeli police also attacked dozens of worshippers and religious students outside the complex in the Old City of East Jerusalem.
"The Israeli police fired stun grenades at dozens of worshippers and religious students who gathered at Hatta Gate in the Old City," one witness told AA.
Tension has been running high in East Jerusalem since Israel closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday following the attack on Glick in the city.
Israeli authorities reopened Al-Aqsa on Friday following a day of violent clashes with Palestinian protesters, but barred male Muslim worshippers under 50 years old from entering the religious site.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, for his part, warned that the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound constituted a "declaration of war" against the Palestinian people and their sacred places.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.
In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.
www.aa.com.tr/en
A number of Jewish settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Wednesday following clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers inside the complex, a Palestinian official said.
"The Israeli police allowed the settlers to storm the compound and are now providing protection for their tour," Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of the Organization for Muslim Endowments and Al-Aqsa Affairs, a Palestinian NGO, told Anadolu Agency.
The intrusion came following violent clashes, during which scores of Palestinian worshippers were injured.
"At least 15 Palestinian were injured by rubber bullets, including two in the head and one in the eye, while dozens suffered teargas inhalation," a Palestinian guard of the holy complex told AA.
According to the guard, as many as 60 Israeli troops stormed into the compound's courtyards through Al-Magharbeh and Al-Silsila gates and began shooting randomly towards the worshipers.
The violence came as several extremist Jewish groups called for mass intrusions into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday to mark the passage of one week after the shooting of extremist rabbi Yehuda Glick in Jerusalem by a Palestinian man.
"The Israeli forces are trying to evacuate as many Muslims as possible from the Al-Aqsa compound to facilitate the entry of settlers," Sheikh Omar al-Qiswani, the Palestinian director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, told AA.
He added that ten heavily-armed soldiers stormed Al-Qibali Mosque inside the compound and reached Saladin Minbar (Pulpit).
"Israeli forces closed the mosque with iron chains to secure settlers' intrusion," he added.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted that police forces dispersed "rioters, using stun grenades only."
"Situation on Temple Mount quiet after disturbances," and it is now open for visitors, he added using the Jewish term for the holy complex.
The Israeli authorities usually use the term "visitor" to refer to Jewish settlers who frequently force their way into the holy site.
Eyewitnesses also said that Israeli police also attacked dozens of worshippers and religious students outside the complex in the Old City of East Jerusalem.
"The Israeli police fired stun grenades at dozens of worshippers and religious students who gathered at Hatta Gate in the Old City," one witness told AA.
Tension has been running high in East Jerusalem since Israel closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday following the attack on Glick in the city.
Israeli authorities reopened Al-Aqsa on Friday following a day of violent clashes with Palestinian protesters, but barred male Muslim worshippers under 50 years old from entering the religious site.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, for his part, warned that the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound constituted a "declaration of war" against the Palestinian people and their sacred places.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.
In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.
www.aa.com.tr/en
Israel bans Norwegian doctor from Gaza
Mads Gilbert, renowned for treating civilians at Shifa hospital during bombardment, barred from territory indefinitely.
Mads Gilbert, an outspoken Norwegian doctor and activist who treated patients at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital during Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory this summer, has been denied access to Gaza "indefinitely" by Israeli authorities.
Gilbert told Al Jazeera on Friday that he was turned away from the Erez border crossing when attempting to return to Gaza in October, despite having all the legitimate paper work.
"To my surprise I was denied access by the Israeli military," he said. "When I asked the reason they informed me that it was a security issue."
Gilbert said that when he asked for a fuller explanation, he was told to "leave the premises or the police would be called".
The 67-year-old, who has been involved in solidarity work with Palestinians for decades and volunteered at al-Shifa on and off for 17 years, has been a vocal critic of Israel's military campaigns and its occupation of Palestinian territory.
During the seven-week conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement that left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead, Gilbert frequently spoke to international media, including Al Jazeera, about the situation at al-Shifa hospital, which was overwhelmed with civilian casualties.
However, a spokesperson for the Coordination of the Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli authority that coordinates all traffic between Gaza and Israel, told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that the refusal of entry was related to security reasons and had "nothing to do with Gilbert's anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic remarks".
Norwegian pressure
Gilbert told Al Jazeera he was informed that the ban was "infinite without any time limit".
He said he had been invited by the Gaza Health Ministry, which had requested his assistance to research the impact on healthcare of the Israeli bombardment and to follow up on work done during that time.
The Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv has made numerous inquiries to the Israeli government about the ban.
Bard Glad Pedersen, state secretary at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, told Verdens Gang, "we have raised Gilbert's exclusion from Gaza and asked Israel to change their decision. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is still difficult and there is a need for all health workers."
Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-registered charity, which has been working in the occupied West Bank and Gaza for over 20 years and supports al-Shifa hospital, called the ban on Gilbert "deeply concerning" and reiterated that, "following the recent conflict, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza require specialised surgical treatment and it is imperative that the right to health is unimpeded".
'Will not give up'
Denouncing his entry ban as a limitation of freedom of expression, Gilbert said it appeared the Israeli government "doesn't want the effects of their continuous attacks on the civilian population in Gaza to be known to the world".
"Telling the world about the burdens of the Palestinians in Gaza is considered a security risk," he said, adding that in a larger perspective, the ban was not about him, but about the Gazans' right to international assistance.
"The Israeli authorities are, in my opinion, in no position to deny the Palestinian people support from the international community," he told Al Jazeera.
He vowed to continue to challenge Israel and called for political pressure to be exerted to lift the "long overdue" siege of Gaza.
"There is no way we’re going to accept that medical and humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza shall be denied just because the Israeli government has decided so. I will not give up travelling to Gaza as long as they have medical needs," he said.
Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" following firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza.
According to UN figures the Palestinian death toll was 2,131, of whom 1,473 were identified as civilians, including 501 children. On the Israeli side, 77 people, mostly soldiers, were killed.
Mads Gilbert, renowned for treating civilians at Shifa hospital during bombardment, barred from territory indefinitely.
Mads Gilbert, an outspoken Norwegian doctor and activist who treated patients at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital during Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory this summer, has been denied access to Gaza "indefinitely" by Israeli authorities.
Gilbert told Al Jazeera on Friday that he was turned away from the Erez border crossing when attempting to return to Gaza in October, despite having all the legitimate paper work.
"To my surprise I was denied access by the Israeli military," he said. "When I asked the reason they informed me that it was a security issue."
Gilbert said that when he asked for a fuller explanation, he was told to "leave the premises or the police would be called".
The 67-year-old, who has been involved in solidarity work with Palestinians for decades and volunteered at al-Shifa on and off for 17 years, has been a vocal critic of Israel's military campaigns and its occupation of Palestinian territory.
During the seven-week conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement that left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead, Gilbert frequently spoke to international media, including Al Jazeera, about the situation at al-Shifa hospital, which was overwhelmed with civilian casualties.
However, a spokesperson for the Coordination of the Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli authority that coordinates all traffic between Gaza and Israel, told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that the refusal of entry was related to security reasons and had "nothing to do with Gilbert's anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic remarks".
Norwegian pressure
Gilbert told Al Jazeera he was informed that the ban was "infinite without any time limit".
He said he had been invited by the Gaza Health Ministry, which had requested his assistance to research the impact on healthcare of the Israeli bombardment and to follow up on work done during that time.
The Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv has made numerous inquiries to the Israeli government about the ban.
Bard Glad Pedersen, state secretary at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, told Verdens Gang, "we have raised Gilbert's exclusion from Gaza and asked Israel to change their decision. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is still difficult and there is a need for all health workers."
Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-registered charity, which has been working in the occupied West Bank and Gaza for over 20 years and supports al-Shifa hospital, called the ban on Gilbert "deeply concerning" and reiterated that, "following the recent conflict, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza require specialised surgical treatment and it is imperative that the right to health is unimpeded".
'Will not give up'
Denouncing his entry ban as a limitation of freedom of expression, Gilbert said it appeared the Israeli government "doesn't want the effects of their continuous attacks on the civilian population in Gaza to be known to the world".
"Telling the world about the burdens of the Palestinians in Gaza is considered a security risk," he said, adding that in a larger perspective, the ban was not about him, but about the Gazans' right to international assistance.
"The Israeli authorities are, in my opinion, in no position to deny the Palestinian people support from the international community," he told Al Jazeera.
He vowed to continue to challenge Israel and called for political pressure to be exerted to lift the "long overdue" siege of Gaza.
"There is no way we’re going to accept that medical and humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza shall be denied just because the Israeli government has decided so. I will not give up travelling to Gaza as long as they have medical needs," he said.
Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" following firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza.
According to UN figures the Palestinian death toll was 2,131, of whom 1,473 were identified as civilians, including 501 children. On the Israeli side, 77 people, mostly soldiers, were killed.