OVER the years Israel has only shown that it has no respect either for Palestinian Muslims or their religious sites.
It has been shamelessly and with impunity targeting the innocent and armless Palestinians and their places of worship.
The other day, hundreds of Israeli settlers forced their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem under Israeli police protection.
This is not the first time that the mosque has been desecrated by Israeli settlers and their forces.
Tension has been simmering near Al-Aqsa for years. On 05 May 2021, Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and wounded many Palestinians while arresting dozens.
The Israeli actions violating the sanctity of Qibla-i-Awal hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world.
With more restrictions placed on Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa mosque and ongoing calls by Israeli religious groups to allow Jews to pray at the site, many Palestinians fear a possible division of the compound.
Any attempt to change Al- Aqsa mosque’s historical and legal status must stop as the Muslims will not accept it under any circumstances.
The illegal Israeli control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City, violates several principles of international law which outlines that an occupying power does not have sovereignty in the territory it occupies.
However, over the years, the Israeli government has taken further steps towards controlling and Judaising the Old City and East Jerusalem as a whole.
Israel has built at least 12 fortified Jewish-only illegal settlements in East Jerusalem, housing some 200,000 Israelis, while rejecting Palestinian building permits and demolishing their homes.
The incident at Al-Aqsa has come amid rising tension near Gaza where over thirty Palestinians have been martyred in recent days in Israeli airstrikes.
Though a truce has been brokered between the two sides by Egypt but is unlikely to hold given the intransigence of Israel.
It is surprising that on the one hand the western countries are helping Ukraine to resist occupation and invasion but in case of Palestinians, they are helping the oppressor {Israel} to perpetrate occupation and terror against a civilian population.
These double standards must come to an end if we really want peace and stability in the world.
The Palestinian rights must be respected and it is only possible when major capitals will use their influence on Israel and force it to move towards resolution of Middle Eastern conflict which only lies in two independent states.
