Temple Mount
Temple MountiStock

Salem Salameh, a Palestinian MP who represents Hamas, on Tuesday condemned what he described as the escalation of "settler break-ins" to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling them a "dangerous Zionist aggression and escalation that harms every Muslim, Arab and Palestinian."

"The break-ins of the occupation and its settlers show that we are moving towards a division of (use of) the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that these break-ins are being carried out under the auspices of the occupation police, and are an abominable Zionist terrorist act aimed at violating our rights," Salameh said.

The repeated "break-ins," Salameh claimed, "are being carried out as part of an effort to gain the support of the Zionist right, including settlers and haredim. The occupying state is working to take over the Al-Aqsa Mosque and prepare the ground for the division of Al-Aqsa in order to build their legendary temple."

Salameh called on the Palestinian Arab public to resist these "break-ins" through a physical presence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and through the escalation of the resistance in all its forms (meaning an armed resistance as well).

The Palestinian Arab leadership does not recognize the right or historical or religious affiliation of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and claims that the Holy Temple was never built on the Temple Mount. The entire Temple Mount area is considered by the Palestinian Arabs to be part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is defined as an Islamic site belonging only to Muslims.

Palestinian Arabs continuously falsely claim that Israel is “Judaizing” Jerusalem, which they claim is their capital, in an attempt to erase the Muslim connection to the city.

A claim which they consistently repeat is that Israel plans to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with a Holy Temple.