Official PA daily columnist: Israelis want to prevent Muslims from coming to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, destroy the mosque, and build the Third Temple
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida columnist Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul: "The step [Israel] took when it placed metal detectors was for the purpose of causing a deterioration of the situation that would impose a full division of the Al-Aqsa Mosque [between Muslims and Jews] according to times and areas. And the step that would
have followed this would have been to prevent Muslims from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque – the first of the two directions of prayer, and the third holiest site [in Islam] – and afterwards the destruction of the mosque and the building of the Third Temple."
The mention of "the step Israel took" refers to Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount, including metal detectors at the entrances, following an attack there on July 14, 2017, in which 2 Israeli border police officers were murdered by 3 Israeli Arab terrorists. On July 24, 2017, Israel decided to remove the metal detectors and security cameras it had placed at the site. The PA continued to demand that all measures including inspections at the entrances be removed, and Palestinians continued to riot. On July 27, 2017, PA religious leaders declared that all Israeli measures had been removed.
Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Jabarin, Muhammad Hamed Abd Al-Latif Jabarin, and Muhammad Ahmad Mufaddal Jabarin - Israeli Arab terrorists aged 29, 19, and 19, who shot from the Temple Mount at Israeli policemen, murdering 2 Israeli Druze border policemen - Haiel Stawi and Kamil Shnaan, on July 14, 2017. Two of the terrorists were shot and killed by other policemen during the attack. The third terrorist was shot and killed while trying to flee.
"Division according to areas and times" refers to a proposed law (May 2013) being reviewed in Israeli Parliament that would allow for both Jews and Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount, what the Palestinians call the Al-Aqsa Mosque plaza. The law seeks to designate separate prayer times and areas of the site for Muslims and Jews.