Tomorrow Is International Al Quds Day, Palestinian Protesters Willing To Die Defending Al Aqsa

Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex. (Twitter/@firstqiblah)

JAKARTA - International Quds Day, the annual worldwide rallies that fall on the last Friday of Ramadan, against Israel's control of Jerusalem, is expected to draw thousands of Palestinians to the disputed city.

Israel's security will be on high alert on Friday. Thousands of Palestinians are expected to flock to Jerusalem, where they will take part in the last Friday prayers before the end of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month.

Many will also participate in International Quds Day, the annual rallies held in major cities around the world targeting 'Zionism' and Israel's control of Jerusalem, a city disputed by Muslims and Jews.

Mohammed Ahmed, a 22-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem who refused to reveal his real name, for fear of being persecuted by Israeli security forces, said he would be one of those who would protest on Friday.

"So far, I have participated in many such protests and this time I intend to be at Al Haram A-Sherif (a plateau in Jerusalem where the Al Aqsa Mosque is located), also to vent anger against Israel and its continued acts of provocation. continuously in our holy place," he said, according to Sputnik News, April 28.

Protest on International Al Quds Day. (Wikimedia Commons/Meghdad Madadi)

Since the start of Ramadan, mass Friday prayers at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque have led to fierce fighting between Palestinians and Israeli police. On April 15, the first night of Passover, Israeli forces injured at least 158 Palestinians and arrested another 400 inside the compound. Two weeks later, 31 Palestinians were injured, including three journalists, who were covering events at the mosque.

Israel claims the presence of its security forces on the Temple Mount, the Jewish name for Al Haram A-Sherif, is necessary to prevent Palestinians from throwing stones at the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism, which lies around the Western Wall. Anyone caught disturbing public order risks being arrested or shot by Israeli police.

Despite such an ultimatum, Ahmed said he was not afraid of Israel's 'continuous threat'.

"I have the right to defend Al Aqsa, our holy place, and all the land of Palestine. And I am ready to die protecting our holy place from Israel," he stressed.

However, Ahmed's frustration is not only directed at Israel. Some are also aimed at the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.

"The PA (Palestinian Authority) does not condemn Israel's actions. Nor have they succeeded in protecting us from their abuse, and the result is that the situation will soon get out of hand," he criticized.

Israeli army illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Israel Defense Forces)

In recent weeks, Israel has made several arrests in the West Bank, aiming to contain the terror threat that has plagued the Jewish state and which has claimed the lives of 17 victims.

Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli attacks on cities such as Jenin, Toul Karem and Hebron. Many others have been injured.

The Palestinian Authority has not only turned a blind eye to the attacks, but is actively cooperating with Israel. Alarmed by the militant Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two radical groups that have challenged the PA, Ramallah is reported to have given the names and whereabouts of their militants, a move seen as a betrayal by many Palestinians, who support the armed resistance group.

“If Israel continues its abuses, and President Mahmoud Abbas continues to cooperate with them, the situation will worsen, and the region will witness another war, between our resistance forces and Israel. But this time, it will not happen in Gaza. It will be in the West Bank," Ahmed warned.

It is known, the last confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank occurred in 2002, when the Jewish state launched its Defense Shield military operation, in response to the wave of terror attacks that swept through the country during the Second Intifada.

During the operation, which lasted a month and a half, Israel killed hundreds of Palestinians, many of them militants. They also arrested another 7,000 people and destroyed the infrastructure of the terror cells.