PLO, PA, and Fatah officials call for more riots to defend Al-Aqsa against Israel’s “satanic plans”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor Ahmed Al-Ruweidi: “We know that the occupation is plotting against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and its goal is to put its hands on it and divide it in preparation for establishing the alleged Temple” …
Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary-General Majed Al-Fatiani: “All of us in the Fatah Movement have told all our staff in all our places for days – go out! Into our streets, into our alleys, so that the cost of this occupation will be expensive for this enemy… There are crazy settlers in the alleys, streets, neighborhoods, and villages of the Northern Districts (i.e., the West Bank). Why are we not standing against them? We said: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” …
Secretary-General of the PLO Islamic-Christian Council for Jerusalem and the Holy Sites Hanna Issa: “Israel is now planning satanic plans to establish ‘Solomon’s Temple’ in place of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” …
Jerusalem District Deputy Governor Abdallah Siyam: “We see this heroic scene that is full of determination, faith, and persistence in order to defend the sanctity of this site against the desecration that was planned for it.”
Hanna Issa also serves as Fatah Revolutionary Council member.
Fatah/Hamas Riot and Rocket War 2021 – On April 30, 2021, facing certain electoral defeat, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas cancelled the first PA elections scheduled in 15 years. Hamas, which expected to win the elections, denounced it as a “coup.” In need of a conflict to divert public discontent, Abbas artificially generated a crisis over Jerusalem. His Fatah party called for "raising the level of confrontation,” and Abbas' spokesman told Palestinians "the battle of all battles is here.” Jerusalem Arabs responded by attacking Jews with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Hamas, Abbas' political rival, could not allow Abbas to lead the battle, so on May 10, 2021, Hamas launched rocket barrages targeting Israeli population centers including Jerusalem. Over the next 11 days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired over 4,300 rockets into southern and central Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 9 Israelis and 3 foreign nationals, and wounding hundreds. In response, Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls to target Hamas terror leaders and terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Already in mid-April, a planned eviction of some Palestinian families illegally living in Jewish-owned buildings in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem had led to clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli police. This dispute provided Palestinians with a pretext for violent rioting. Adding to the crisis, Israeli Arabs started rioting throughout Israel, especially in cities with a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Two Jews were murdered and many were wounded. According to Walla, an independent Israeli news site, 10 synagogues were wholly or partly burned down; fires were set in 112 Jewish homes and 1 Arab home mistaken for a Jewish home; 386 Jewish homes were plundered and 673 were damaged; 849 cars were set ablaze; and there were 5,018 rock-throwing attacks. In response, Jews started attacking Arabs and their properties as well, but on a much smaller scale. No mosques were burned; 13 Arab homes were damaged; 13 Arab-owned cars were burned; and there were 41 rock-throwing attacks by Jews. [Walla, May 16, 2021] The fighting between Israel and Hamas ended with a ceasefire on May 21, 2021.