October 29, 2009

So far, the Jordanian reactions to the scandalous Israeli provocations at al Masjidul Aqsa (Aqsa Mosque) have been minimal, inadequate and strikingly weak. Jordan, which signed the inauspicious Wadi Araba treaty with Israel fifteen years ago, is legally and morally responsible for the Islamic and Christian holy places in al-Quds.

However, the Jordanian state, apart from playing a symbolic role, has been effectively silent in the face of uninterrupted and unrelenting Israeli conspiracies against the Islamic sanctuary in the holy city. Israel has been carrying out far-reaching excavations in the vicinity of the Haram al Sharif esplanade which experts say are destabilizing the foundations of the structures.

A few months ago holes and pits appeared at the courtyard not far from the western entrance to the Aqsa Mosque. Moreover, the usually green olive trees in that area began to wilt, indicating that Israel was digging underneath.

Unfortunately, Jordan didn’t view these grave provocations gravely enough, which apparently encouraged Israel to go on and on and on.

And now, al Aqsa Mosque is facing a real danger stemming from the repeated attempts by Jewish fanatics to arrogate a foothold and establish so-called "prayer rights" at the exclusively Islamic sanctuary.

Needless to say, these are not marginal groups of religious maniacs that can be dismissed as constituting a small minority within the Israeli Jewish society. The opposite is true. These extremists enjoy strong backing from the Israeli government and people and have strong allies in the Israeli Knesset and even in the Israeli police and army. In fact, more than 50% of the high-ranking officers in the Israeli army have ideological affinity with these "national-Zionist" extremists.

Hence, one exaggerates little by saying that these groups represent a wide segment of the Israeli Jewish society and that they are hell-bent on either demolishing, bombing the Islamic holy places or seizing part of the Haram al Sharif for the purpose of performing their rituals.

The evil designs of these satanic terrorists can’t be repulsed by routine, meaningless and dull diplomatic protests from Amman and other Arab and Muslim capitals.

In the final analysis, the Jordanian government shouldn’t just content itself with receiving "assurances" from the Israeli government that Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo until a lasting peace is reached.

Israel is a notoriously lying state and its assurances and pledges are worth nothing.

A few years ago, an Israeli court ruling to allow Jewish fanatics to hold prayers right in the middle of the Haram al Sharif is a clarion proof, if a proof was needed, that Israel cares very little about Jordanian, Arab or Islamic concerns in this regard.

Israel claims that Jewish "visitors" had the right to visit just like other tourists from around the world who visit the Islamic site.

However, it should be amply clear that we are not merely talking about visitors but rather about saboteurs and terrorists whose aim is first and foremost to undermine the Muslim ownership of the holy site, nearly uninterrupted since the second Caliph, Omar Ibnul-Khattab, took control of the city from Byzantine Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius in 638.

These are not unfounded allegations. Anyone interested in knowing the truth could watch the Israeli media and see Jewish leaders openly call for the destruction of the Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques. For example, on Sunday, 25 October, dozens of rabbis and Knesset members held a special conference in West Jerusalem, at a place known as Heichal Shlomo (where an alleged prototype of Solomon’s Temple is erected). During the conference, tacit, and even explicit, calls for the demolition of the Aqsa mosque were heard.

The head of an extremist group, called the Temple Mount Faithful, had the audacity to call the Islamic edifices "pagan structure that ought to be brought down." The Israeli government does nothing to stop or even discourage these extremists and terrorists from doing what they have been doing, namely planning the demolition of the Aqsa Mosque in order to build a Jewish temple in its place.

I understand that relations between Israel and Jordan are subject to some special sensitivities pertaining to the oblique strategic balance in the region and also with Jordanian fears about the possible expulsion by Israel of Palestinians into Jordan.

However, a policy of appeasement toward Israel will seriously harm both Jordanian and Palestinian interests as well as the stature and dignity of the entire Islamic world.

In the final analysis, Jordan ought to realize that maintaining stable relations with Israel is not more important than protecting the first Qibla and third holiest Islamic shrine from satanic Zionist designs.

Jordan must also understand that vacuous statements, repeated ad nauseam, such as saying that what Israel is doing in Jerusalem will derail the peace process, a peace process that doesn’t really exist, only encourages and emboldens Israel to further ignore Muslim reactions and defy Muslim sensibilities.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Jordanian state take an uncompromising stance that would deter Israel.

In fact, one is always prompted to ask if maintaining relations with Israel doesn’t serve the paramount interests of Jordan , and other Arab and Muslim states that have relations with the Zionist regime, such as Egypt, then what is the rationale for maintaining such relations in the first place?

-###-

By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine