Fatah: "The abuse of the holy sites, and especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, is a direct call for violence", PA Minister calls to protect holy sites and continue Ribat

Headline: “Wounded people and arrests; the Al-Aqsa Mosque was closed following a suspicious fire at the occupation police post next to the Dome of the Rock”

“Israeli occupation forces closed the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque yesterday [March 12, 2019] and wounded, attacked, and arrested a number of civilians…

[Official] Fatah Movement Spokesperson and [Fatah] Revolutionary Council member Osama Al-Qawasmi emphasized that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a red line, and that Jerusalem, with all that is within it, is purely Palestinian. He added that the abuse of the holy sites, and especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, is a direct call for violence, and that we in Fatah will not allow the execution of the Israeli plan, whatever the cost may be…

[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Ida’is again called on the Arabs and Muslims to act to save Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the sites within it that are holy to Islam and Christianity. He also called to remain alert and continue the Ribat (i.e., religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to thwart any new violations.”

A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Israeli police post on the Temple Mount on March 12, 2019, causing a fire that damaged the building and setting a police vehicle on fire. Following this the police closed the Temple Mount to visitors, removing those already there. Police reported that in a search carried out after the Temple Mount was closed they found incendiary materials, firecrackers, and Molotov cocktails.