Palestinian resistance condemns Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa mosque, calls for confrontation

The Palestinian resistance has strongly condemned Israeli far-right politician and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the morning of Sunday, August 3rd.  Mr Ben-Gvir, a vocal supporter of Palestinian genocide and banned by several European countries, accompanied by 3,000 Zionist settlers, stormed the third holiest shrines of Islam—Al-Aqsa Mosque—on the occasion of the “Anniversary of the Destruction of the Temple”. 

The settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque through Al-Maghariba Gate under heavy protection from Israeli forces. The Zionists carried out Talmudic rituals inside the mosque and prayers, as well as singing and other acts to provoke the Muslims among the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem.

Left-wing Palestinian resistance organisation the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in a statement issued on Sunday, claimed that this type of aggression is “pouring more fire on an explosive barrel”.

Mr Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque enjoyed the full support of the Israeli state and its armed forces, who guarded the settlers.

Condemning it, the PFLP called it “a new provocation in the series of systematic Zionist crimes against our people and our holy sites”, adding, “This is a new aggressive step that comes as part of a dangerous escalation plan through which the occupation seeks to bypass the plan for temporal and spatial division and impose complete control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and Judaise the city of Jerusalem by forcibly imposing facts on the ground within a systematic and gradual Zionist settlement project.”

Mr Ben-Gvir not only led a provocative march in the Old City ahead of Sunday’s actions, but he also delivered a provocative speech, stating: “We are not content with mourning; we are thinking about building the [Temple], asserting sovereignty, and imposing rule… we will do that in Gaza as well.”

Highlighting the provocative action, the left-wing organisation said, “What happened today is pouring more fire on an exploding barrel, coinciding with the unprecedented crimes of genocide and starvation in Gaza, and the ongoing attacks in the West Bank.” 

“It is a clear translation of the racist, fascist ideology espoused by the leaders of this entity and implemented with direct US sponsorship, as part of a comprehensive plan to resolve the conflict through Judaisation, settlement, oppression, massacres, and ethnic cleansing,” the PFLP alleged.

During Mr Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the settlers’ “Temple” groups organised a mass entry and prepared canopies near Al-Maghariba Gate bridge to manage crowds.

Resistance forces reported that one such group, “Temple Mount is in Our Hands”, circulated artwork depicting a “Temple” replacing Al-Aqsa, captioned: “Complete victory on the Temple Mount has not yet been achieved”.

These groups frame the date as a pledge to remove Al-Aqsa and establish the so-called Temple, seeking each year to break participation records.

Highlighting Mr Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the PFLP said that the Palestinians won’t let this transgression go unpunished.

“We affirm that our people will not stand idly by in the face of these crimes. Rather, they will confront them with all their might, defend their land and holy sites, and thwart the partition plan, no matter the sacrifices. The response must be greater unity on the ground and an escalation of all forms of resistance, especially armed resistance,” the Marxist-Leninist organisation added.

The PFLP called upon the Palestinian people to gather en masse at Al-Aqsa Mosque and confront the occupiers.

“We call on the masses of our people in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the occupied territories to intensify their gatherings at Al-Aqsa Mosque and escalate their open confrontation with the occupation and its settlers, considering the defence of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa a sacred national mission,” the left-wing resistance organisation appealed.

Citing Mr Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the PFLP again called for Arab and international action to stop the Israeli aggression on Palestine.

“We affirm that this escalating aggression requires serious and broad Arab and international action to stop this criminal Zionist entity. Its crimes have reached a level where it is no longer acceptable to overlook them, remain silent about them, or abandon the Palestinian people in their confrontation, it said while concluding.

East Post is an independent geopolitical analysis portal covering South Asia and global power dynamics for international audiences. Views expressed are analytical and do not constitute endorsement of any state or non-state actor.

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