Abbas: Settlers have no right to 'defile' Al-Aqsa Mosque

Calls for continued Palestinian presence at the mosque to defend it 'by any means
possible.'
By Nir Hasson and Jack Khoury | Oct. 17, 2014 | 9:46 PM


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a press conference on October 8,
2014 in the West Bank City of Ramallah. Photo by AFP
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Friday for the defense of the Al-
Aqsa Mosque against Israel. Abbas stated that the holy site was being desecrated by
settlers and that a continued Palestinian presence is required there to protect it.
Speaking at the West Bank town of Albira, Abbas stressed that a Palestinian state
without Jerusalem as its capital would be impossible.
Palestinians "must be present at the Al-Aqsa Mosque," he said. "We must stop them
(the settlers) from entering by any means possible. This is our mosque and they have
no right to enter it and defile it."
The Palestinian president called for actions to replace words in regards to Jerusalem.
"Al Quds," said Abbas, referring to Jerusalem by its Arabic name, "has a special
place in the heart of every Palestinian, of every Arab, be they Muslim or Christian, Al
Quds is the jewel in the crown and the eternal capital of the Palestinian people, and
without which there will be no state."
Abbas also reiterated the position held by the Palestinian leadership, in regards to
seeking the acknowledgement of the UN Security Council, that the areas occupied by
Israel since 1967 be recognized as the territory of a future Palestinian state, rather
than contested areas, as considered by Israel
Concerning domestic Palestinian affairs, Abbas insisted on holding elections in the
West Bank and Gaza within six months, and noted that the Fatah general committee
will convene at the end of the year and "breathe life" into the organization by
allowing the younger generation to assume leadership roles.
"We have faith in a generational shift, in the movement from one generation to the
other, until the final goal is reached, in the form of Palestinian statehood," he said.
Meanwhile in Gaza, Hamas blamed the Palestinian Authority of harassing its activists
in the West Bank and dispersing demonstrations organized by Hamas in support of Al-
Aqsa. A statement issued by Hamas said PA police forces forcibly dispersed rallies
organized by Hamas in Nablus, Hebron and Ramallah and detained some of its men.
Hamas said this was against Abbas's statements on defending Al-Aqsa and called on
the Palestinian government and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to order the security
agencies to follow the law.
Clashes between police and Palestinian youths erupted Monday on the Temple Mount,
the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Palestinian rioters, some
of them masked, hurled stones and threw firecrackers and firebombs at the police. A
police force broke into the compound and was able to push the rioters back inside the
mosque, amd to dismantle barricades set up by the protesters and close the doors,
locking the rioters inside the mosque.
Since 2004, the Temple Mount is open to Jewish and non-Muslim tourists for a few
hours each day.