Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 27 August 2024

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Fuming Palestinians claim Ben Gvir announced plans for synagogue on Temple Mount

The Palestinian Authority says a remark from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir expressing support for a synagogue being placed atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is tantamount to an explicit call for the Al-Aqsa Mosque to be razed and replaced with a Jewish house of worship. In a statement, the PA’s foreign ministry calls on allies from the international arena to “pressure Israel to force it to put an end to Ben Gvir’s practices, statements and provocative stances.” Speaking to Army Radio earlier in the day, Ben Gvir said Jews would not be prevented from praying atop the Temple Mount, currently banned as part of a status quo agreement governing the sensitive site.

A statement from Hamas claims, however, that Ben Gvir announced plans “to build a synagogue inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” urging Palestinians to mass at the site “to confront the occupation’s plans.”

“Al-Aqsa and the holy sites are a pure place of worship for Muslims,” Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah said in a statement. “Jordan will take all necessary measures to stop the attacks on the holy sites” and “is preparing the necessary legal files to take action in international courts against the attacks on the holy sites,” Qudah said.

Analyst Comments:

Hamas said the minister’s comments were “dangerous” and called on Arab and Islamic countries “to take responsibility for protecting the holy sites”. Inflammatory statements from either side in this war not only jeopardize a cease-fire, but also risk broadening the hostilities into a more regional conflict.