The Holy Month of Ramadan in Israel

“Once again, extremists have hijacked the holy month of Ramadan. Once again, young thugs are shooting fireworks at police out of the third-holiest mosque in Islam. Once again, terror groups seek to leverage this into a broader confrontation with Israel."

"And once again, such behavior has gone uncriticized by moderate Arab states like Jordan. This pattern brings the region to the brink of war each year, with Ramadan wielded cynically as the predicate.”  Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President for Research, Federation for Defence of Democracies

 

“Palestinian extremists are once again inciting to violence at sensitive religious sites during Ramadan and Passover."

"They seek to take advantage of a pre-established media and political narrative that refuses to acknowledge a clear causal connection between the violence and reasonable Israeli security steps to constrain it."

"This framing not only misleads readers but fans the flames, with dangerous consequences for the people of the region.” 

Mark Dubowitz, CEO, Federation for Defense of Democracies

Police respond to Palestinian riots on Temple Mount, Israeli officer injured

"Several law-breaking youths and masked agitators [fortified the mosque] in order to disrupt public order and desecrate the mosque."  

"After many and prolonged attempts to get them out by talking to no avail, police forces were forced to enter the compound in order to get them out with the intentions to allow the Fajr [dawn] prayer and to prevent a violent disturbance." 

"When the police entered, stones were thrown at them and fireworks were fired from inside the mosque by a large group of agitators." 

Israeli Police report

Scores of Palestinians were arrested at Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli police early Wednesday in Jerusalem's Old City. Stun grenades were fired while Palestinians hurled rocks and fireworks, a burst of violence not entirely surprising given the tensions built up over the past months with Palestinian random attacks against Israelis increasing in numbers as a lead-up to Ramadan. In Gaza Palestinian terrorists attacked southern Israel with rocket fire, and repeated Israeli airstrikes ensued.

 

Muslims are marking their holy month of Ramadan, a time for introspection, prayer and sobering thought. It has also become a month of threats against Israel followed by violence, a ritual not entirely in keeping with the purpose of the holy month. Just as Jews in Israel and around the world were preparing for the onset of Passover, incitement to violence by Palestinian leadership led to frenzied activity on the Temple Mount around the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

 

Young Palestinian men were once again assembling rocky projectiles within the mosque, along with fireworks with the intention of attacking the Israeli Police whose function is to maintain calm and security during this time when thousands of Muslim worshippers are expected to throng to prayer at the mosque. The Palestinian militants barricaded themselves in the mosque while throwing rocks and fireworks at the police, preventing peaceful Muslims from either entering or exiting the mosque.

 

Al-Aqsa Mosque interior, Reuters

By morning, calm prevailed on the compound and shortly afterward it was reopened to worshippers. Dozens of Palestinians have time and again attempted to remain overnight in the mosque, barricading themselves within, stockpiling projectiles. Nightly, police entered to evict them. Palestinian terrorist groups gave warning of additional confrontations on the way. 

 

Medics of the Palestinian Red Crescent described 50 people having been injured at the mosque, while Israeli police spoke of 350 arrested. Most of those arrested from Al-Aqsa were released by early afternoon, while 50 remained in detention to have their cases heard on Friday. 

 

Smoke rises above buildings in Gaza City as the IDF launches air strikes on the Hamas-operated Palestinian enclave late April 6, 2023   Mohammed Abed/AFP

 

An Israeli soldier was shot and moderately wounded in the West Bank. A total of 34 rockets were fired by Palestinians, with air raid sirens sounding in the region just as residents prepared for the weeklong Passover holiday."We don't want this to escalate, [but] we will respond very aggressively", stated Lt.Col. Richard Hecht, an army spokesman, referring to the intercepted rockets to which the IDF responded with airstrikes hitting Hamas weapons storage and manufacturing sites.