A Palestinian group on Saturday called on Palestinians to converge on Al-Aqsa Mosque on a daily basis to counter Israeli plans to control Islam's third holiest site.
The Defendants of Al-Quds Authority, a Palestinian NGO founded in 2010 to resist Israeli plans to Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque, said the presence of Palestinians in large numbers at the mosque will be the strongest response to Israeli plans.
"A heavy presence by worshippers inside the mosque over the past few days had undermined attempts to defile the worship place by Jewish extremists, who enjoyed protection from Israeli policemen," Youssef Mekhaimar, the head of the authority, told Anadolu Agency.
"Jewish radicals will be deterred only by the daily heavy presence of the Palestinians at the gates of the mosque," he added.
Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site for Muslims, is the target of repeated attacks from extremist Jewish settlers, the thing that fills Palestinians with anger.
Jewish groups had called for breaking into the sacred site to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, which began on Wednesday.
Mekhaimer said the Palestinians wage their fight in defense of the mosque on behalf of all Arabs and Muslims.
He underlined the need to support Palestinian institutions in occupied Jerusalem so they can resist Israeli attempts to make Jews a majority population in the holy city.
He said the Israeli government forces Palestinians to voluntarily leave by demolishing their homes, imposing high taxes on them and threatening to withdraw their identification cards.
Scores of Israeli policemen had stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday following the weekly prayer, fired stun grenades at worshipers inside.
Scores of worshippers suffocated when they inhaled the tear gas, according to eyewitnesses.
The eyewitnesses said clashes erupted when Israeli policemen broke into the Al-Maghariba Gate and besieged the worshippers inside the mosque compound.
This forced Muslim youths inside the mosque to throw stones at the policemen, the eyewitnesses said.
Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement happens to be next Saturday. It will be followed by Sukkot or Feast of Booths, on September 19. Sukkot will last until September 26.
The Defendants of Al-Quds Authority, which combines some activists and politicians from different Palestinian movements, says it seeks to find solutions for educational, health, and social problems in Jerusalem as well as make the required links between institutions and Palestinians both inside and outside Palestine.
