Islamic Movement leader warns of 'crazy Israeli plots' to take over al-Aksa during Passover
"What I fear the most is that they have further aspirations beyond just praying on Temple Mount and making the Passover sacrifice. I fear that their plans are more dangerous," Salah said.
By MAAYAN GROISMANRaed Salah urgent call to save al-Aksa
Sheikh Raed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement in Israel's northern branch, issued an urgent call for the Palestinian people and the entire Islamic nation to save al-Aksa from "crazy and very dangerous schemes that the Israeli occupation plans to carry out during the Passover holiday."In a video released by Salah Tuesday, the Islamic movement leader explains that the "series of arrests which has been recently committed by Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and inside the '48 territories' aims at emptying al-Aksa from our men and women.""These incarcerations are aimed at allowing the Jews to have exclusive control over al-Aksa, and the important question is why?" Salah said."What I fear the most is that they have further aspirations beyond just praying on Temple Mount and making the Passover sacrifice. I fear that their plans are more dangerous," Salah said.To prevent such "crazy conspiracies" from turning into reality, the Islamic Movement leader called on the "Islamic nation, the Arab world and the Palestinian people to wake up and take caution, since al-Aksa is in danger."Salah's clamor to save al-Aksa came as the dispute on visits by Jews to Temple Mount was heating up. Last week, Israeli Arab MK Jamal Zahalka told a Palestinian news site that "we must keep Jews off the holy compound," a call which was denounced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.On Monday, the Supreme Court decided to shorten the sentence of Salah, who was convicted of incitement to racism and violence, from 11 to nine months. He has not yet started serving the sentence.Salah himself said that the decision would not prevent him from "continuing to reveal the "crimes of the Israeli occupation on Temple Mount and al-Aksa mosque."