The Islamic State group has reportedly called on its followers to set fire to churches and synagogues in countries including the UK this Easter weekend in response to the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Islamic State (IS) group – also known as ISIS – has allegedly urged its supporters to torch churches and synagogues in nations including the UK this Easter weekend.
In the most recent issue of its weekly al-Naba newsletter, IS is reported to have demanded strikes across Europe, Russia, UAE, Syria, Tunisia and Morocco during the Easter period in retaliation for the shuttering of Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem, the Express reports. The extremist organisation also asserted it inflicted 60 casualties in “15 operations” over the past week.
Israeli officials shut Al-Aqsa Mosque in late February, referencing the “security situation” during the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israel has additionally banned mass assemblies at locations such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The decision compelled Muslim worshippers to congregate beyond the Old City walls for Eid prayers throughout Ramadan in order to position themselves as near as feasible to the mosque.
For the opening Friday prayers of Ramadan in February, Israel limited the number of Palestinians permitted entry from the West Bank to 10,000, allowing solely men above 55, women over 50 and children below 12. For the identical Ramadan prayers in March last year, approximately 90,000 Palestinians worshipped at the mosque under stringent security from Israeli forces.
Muslims refer to the hilltop housing Al-Aqsa Mosque – Islam’s third-holiest site – as the Noble Sanctuary, while Jews call it the Temple Mount, Judaism’s most sacred location as it previously contained the ancient biblical temples. It has repeatedly served as a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Palestinian Authority has denounced the mosque’s closure, now in its 34th day, and voiced alarm over extremist settlers demanding access to the sealed site to conduct rituals during Passover in April, according to the Palestine News Agency, reports the Mirror.
Israeli police also barred Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s Latin patriarch, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday. In response, Spain summoned Israel’s senior envoy to Madrid on Monday, declaring that Catholic worship must be able to be “celebrated normally”.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE have criticised what they characterised as ongoing Israeli restrictions on Muslim and Christian worship in Jerusalem.
In its newsletter, IS also examined Palestinian prisoners and their experiences within Israeli jails. This follows Israel’s parliament approving a controversial law on Monday that would make the death penalty the standard sentence for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks.