"What You Need to Know About Al-Aqsa Mosque"
It has already been said, history did not begin one week ago. An understanding of more than 100 years of history is needed to fully understand the Palestinian narrative and what has brought us to where we are. Today, I would like to talk about what led up to Hamas attacking Israel this time. More often than not, the US media only jumps into reporting news from Palestine when a war breaks out. (Please know, only Palestinians are allowed to report from inside Gaza.) They have failed the American people by rarely reporting what led up to it, and therefore dehumanize the Palestinian people in the process. Over here, we see the injustices of what is happening in Palestine and Israel every single day. In fact, what is happening in Palestine IS the news here.
Let’s talk about Al-Aqsa mosque and the compound surrounding it. Often when the media mentions Al-Aqsa, they show a picture of the Dome of the Rock and this is inaccurate, although it sits on the same compound. (See in the picture below to know the difference.) The Al-Aqsa mosque is the 3rd most holy site to Muslims and is also a holy site for the Jews as they believe it is the location of King Solomon’s temple. Al-Aqsa mosque sits above the remains of the Western Wall. Jews believe they must rebuild the temple at the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque in order for the Messiah to come. Christians on the other hand who believe Jesus was the Messiah, also believe the Jewish Temple must be re-built to usher in the 2nd coming of Jesus, which is an important prophecy for Evangelicals and some sects of Christianity. American Christians have gone so far as giving money to Temple Mount funds, pushing and promoting for the Jews to have ownership. The reasoning is an attempt to “hasten” the 2nd Coming of Christ. I do believe Jesus had something to say about this in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32.
What many Americans would be surprised to know is the country of Jordan, is actually responsible for Al-Aqsa mosque like many other holy sites in Jerusalem (the Hashemite custodianship). This recognition comes from four major sources, but I am going to talk specifically about the Wadi Arabia Treaty and the Washington Declaration. On July 25, 1994 King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, signed the Washington Declaration in the presence of President Bill Clinton. The Washington Declaration expressed both counties desire to have peace after years of war. One of the points of agreement in the declaration stated recognition for, “the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim holy shrines in Jerusalem.” This was also later written into the Wadi Arabia Treaty and signed on October 26, 1994. Article 9 of the Wadi Arabia agreement states, “….in accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem….” It is important to note that in 1994 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist who wanted to undermine Rabin’s peace efforts with the Palestinians. Today if you visit the Wadi Arabia border crossing, you will see the story in pictures of the efforts between King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin to make a lasting peace. For me personally it is heartbreaking and sobering.
In 2013, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed an agreement confirming Jordan’s role for over-seeing Al-Aqsa mosque and other holy sites. This agreement was later recognized by the Arab Council, the European Union, the United States, the Vatican, and representatives of various Christian denominations.
In the last 2 decades, the area of Al-Aqsa mosque has been a hotspot for violence and terror. Israel has launched relentless attacks on worshippers, both men and women, at this site for year after year, and also quite often allows Jewish settlers to illegally invade the mosque. Here in Jordan we continually hear about IDF soldiers going into the mosque, spraying rubber bullets, tear gas, throwing grenades, beating peaceful worshippers, and then arresting hundreds. They have also beat paramedics and targeted ambulances. The list goes on and on and on about the terror inflicted there. Israel will claim it as a “security” issue as usual, but we can see from video footage at the attacks during Ramadan this year that this was definitely not the case. Settlers often storm Al-Aqsa mosque as the IDF watches and allows them. The violations at Al-Aqsa mosque happen continually and have ramped up even more this year in 2023. The recent violations in September and in October, the desecration of the mosque and the ongoing siege on Gaza is why Hamas has claimed the attack this time.
Now you know.