[News] Tension builds in Jerusalem as settlers threaten to invade the Al Aqsa mosque

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Tension builds in Jerusalem as settlers threaten to invade the Al Aqsa mosque

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  Wednesday April 15, 2009 17:00
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 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies 
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Tension is mounting in the old city of Jerusalem as Israeli settlers 
and right-wing groups announced on Wednesday that they are planning 
to invade the courtyard of the Al Aqsa mosque some time on Thursday.

Local sources in Jerusalem report that Israeli police and army have 
brought  reinforcements into the old city to deal with any trouble.

Palestinian NGOs and religious leaders have called upon Palestinians 
to come to the Al Aqsa on Thursday to foil the settlers.

The settlers say they will hold a rally in the old city on Thursday 
to mark the end of the Passover holidays. Israeli media sources 
report that the rally maybe the largest since Israeli occupied the 
city of Jerusalem in 1967.

Tension has been rising since Tuesday when Israeli police ordered two 
Palestinian families to leave their homes in  the Sheikh Jarah 
neighborhood, near the old city.

The  homes are owned by the Al Ghawi and Hannon families. Sheikh 
Jarah is a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood. The Palestinians 
living there were originally refugees from the 1948 war. During the 
1950s the Jordanian government granted them rights over the land.

Israeli settlers claim the land was formerly owned by Jews before the 
creation of Israel. In late 1970s settlers applied to the Israeli 
high court which ruled in their favor.

Palestinian families living there managed to acquire documents from 
the Ottoman Archives in Ankara which show that the land was 
previously owned by Palestinians. However the Israeli courts refused 
to recognize their validity.

Both the Al Ghawi and Hannon families appeared in court last week to 
appeal the Israeli government's decision but were unsuccessful.

Since Thursday, international and Palestinian supporters have 
gathered at both the homes to show solidarity with the two families.




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