London – Dozens of pro-Palestine protesters gathered on Saturday outside the Israeli Embassy in London, protesting Israel’s repeated aggressive assaults of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque.
The protest, organised by Friends of Al- Aqsa (FOA), came in response to the continued brutal violence by ‘Israel’ against worshipers at Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem’s holiest site for Muslims and the third holiest site in Islam. It called on ‘Israel’ to ‘get your #HandsOffAlAqsa.’
The protest also came after a morning of violence against Christians by Israeli Occupation Forces, including the restriction of access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, the holiest site for Christians.
Today’s protest was a creative one, with protesters drawing around their hands and painting hand prints with messages of support for #HandsOffAlAqsa.
The protesters called for sanctions on ‘Israel’ with immediate effect.
They were also chanting slogans and holding banners in support of Palestine and against Israel’s violations and occupation of Palestine.
“Israel’s continued violence against unarmed Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa, including the dropping of tear gas on worshippers after Friday prayers, is deplorable” said Ismail Patel, Chair of FOA.
“For six consecutive days worshippers have been violently attacked in this most sacred of spaces. What we are seeing is not just an attack on Palestinians but an attack on Muslims and individuals of faith across the world”.
Shamiul Joarder, Head of Public Affairs at FOA commented, “Israel must face sanctions for these crimes, which are the daily reality of illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine.
“As individuals, we can all play a part in holding Israel to account: support demonstrations for Palestine wherever you are, and contact your MP or arrange to meet with them and ask them to support sanctions on Israel with immediate effect.”
For seven days in a row and for eight times this month, Israeli occupation forces raided the Al-Aqsa mosque, attacked, beat, arrested and injured hundreds of Muslim worshipers, mainly Palestinians.
The forces also blockaded the worshipers inside prayer halls in an attempt to empty the holy site of its worshipers to secure the entry of Israeli colonial settlers to mark the so-called Passover holiday.
However, the Muslims are also marking the holy month of Ramadan and they were attacked inside the holy site while marking the holy month which started on April 2, 2022.
Earlier on April 15, the forces broke into the holy site and brutally attacked the worshipers who gathered to perform the Al-Fajr prayer, injuring around 153 and arresting 400.
From Sunday to Thursday, 3,670 Israeli colonial settlers broke into the Al-Aqsa, as they had been marking the so-called Passover, while being backed by heavily-armed Israeli forces.
There had been calls by extremist Jewish groups to storm the compound last week in large numbers starting last Sunday to mark the Passover and to perform a Passover sacrifice, in violation of the status quo agreements on religious practice at the site.
There had also been several attempts carried out by settlers disguised themselves as worshipers by sporting a thobe or a dishdasha- which is traditionally worn by Muslim and Palestinian men- and were also carrying a rug resembling a prayer mat, to enter the holy site and perform a Passover sacrifice.
FOA is a UK based campaigning organization concerned with defending the human rights of Palestinians and protecting the sacred al-Aqsa Sanctuary in Jerusalem
