ISRAEL - Mass civil disobedience of thousands of Palestinian people has defeated an Israeli attempt to take territory around al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem by installing barricades and metal detectors at entrances.
For two weeks Palestinian worshippers refused to go through metal detectors, and prayed in the thousands in the streets outside the compound, day and night. The Western media has given scant coverage to this important struggle, nor to the increasing repression which ignited it. Corporate media reporting on Palestine, when it does happen, often obscures the issues. The reality is that Israel’s presence there violates international law.
The compound, known to Muslims as the Holy Sanctuary, includes the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. It is one of the holiest shrines for Muslims all over the world, as well as an important symbol of Palestinian identity. The shrine is located in the West Bank, which Israel has illegally occupied for 50 years. No government recognizes Israeli sovereignty there.