Thursday, May 05, 2022
Elder of Ziyon
This week's events on the Temple Mount were significantly different from what has been the pattern lately.
In the run up to Israeli police allowing Jews to resume visiting the holy site, one Temple Mount group called on visitors to unfurl the Israeli flag and sing songs during their visit. This caused huge headlines in the Palestinian and Jordanian media, with Hamas and Fatah threatening major repercussions - including a religious war - if something like that was allowed.
The Israeli police issued a statement saying that the status quo will be respected.
In the April riots, violence was instigated by the Palestinians against the police, Israeli police responded, and the response was used as an excuse for inciting the Arab world.
Today, the opposite occurred.
There were some incidents of Palestinians attacking the police and some response. It did not escalate.
Muslims jeered the Jews, chanting, "With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, Al Aqsa" and "Allah hu Abkar" as police kept them away.
But more than that, the Temple groups did exactly what they said they would. At least two Israeli flags were unfurled, both apparently immediately confiscated by police. The Israeli national anthem Hatikva was sung.
This video shows the young man escorted out of the Mount as those with him sing Hatikva.
In a second incident, this video shows a man taking out a small flag and displaying it. The group then sings Hatikva without apparent police interference as they tour.
These are widely shared on Palestinian media.
Yet instead of declaring the promised jihad, the usual incendiary Palestinian Islamist officials are declaring victory.
The preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, claimed that the Jews were unable to raise any Israeli flags due to the brave chanters. He said: "The intruders entered Al-Aqsa Mosque but they were afraid and changed the course of their incursions and shortened them because the occupation forces are unable to control Al-Aqsa despite the intensity of their presence."
Sabri added: "The Al-Mourabitoun in Al-Aqsa foiled their attempts at sacrifices on Passover, and they are now failing in the issue of flags and were not able to bring them to Al-Aqsa."
Leading Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a member of the Hamas politburo, said, "It is clear that the occupation security services have controlled the matter and do not want to escalate because the experience of Saif Al-Quds [last year's Gaza war] is clear and present to them....It is clear that the occupation is not interested in the recurrence of the experience of Saif Al-Quds, because its consequences were devastating for it."
Last month, the Palestinian leaders instigated violence by pretending that Jews did something they didn't. Today, they seem to be tamping down violence by claiming the Jews were not successful in something they actually did.
Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount who usually sing after exiting the area get more coverage than the ones who actually sang on the Mount today.
It appears that either the Israeli authorities managed to get a message out to the usual inciters behind the scenes, or the Islamists are not as interested in starting a holy war as they claim.
Either way, what could have easily devolved into more serious violence has been treated with the indifference that should go with Jews waving flags or singing their national anthem in their holiest site.
UPDATE: A third incident:
