The anniversary of Al-Aqsa Mosque
arson on August 21, 1969, brings back the pain and memory of a tragic assault
on the mosque—an act that defies international law and United Nations
resolutions that protect sacred sites. On that day, Australian extremist Dennis
Michael Rohan set fire to the eastern wing of the Qibli Chapel within Al-Aqsa
Mosque, causing extensive damage, including the burning of the historic pulpit
of Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi.
This heinous crime marked a
significant turning point in Arab and Islamic awareness regarding the issue of
Jerusalem and its Islamic holy sites. It wasn’t an individual act but part of a
broader context of systematic Israeli policies aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem and
altering its religious and cultural landmarks. While the Israeli authorities
arrested the perpetrator and claimed he was mentally ill, these claims were met
with suspicion, especially in light of the Israeli actions that included
cutting off water to the area and delaying the arrival of fire trucks. Such actions
are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva
Convention, which prohibits the destruction of cultural and religious sites.
In response to the heinous crime,
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was established as the first collective
voice of Arabs and Muslims after widespread protests erupted across various
Arab and Islamic nations. Although the international reaction fell short of
addressing the gravity of the incident, it intensified concerns over the threats
facing Al-Aqsa Mosque and its significance. This was further compounded by the
international community's failure to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing
violations of Palestinian rights and the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy
sites in Jerusalem.
The anniversary of the Al-Aqsa arson
serves not only as a historical remembrance but also as an ongoing alert to the
Judaization efforts targeting the mosque, amid growing extremism within Israeli
society and its shift towards religious Zionism. Today, Al-Aqsa Mosque faces
incremental Judaization projects, including "temporal division,"
which seeks to allocate specific times for Jewish prayers at the mosque, and
"spatial division," aimed at controlling and transforming parts of
the mosque into Jewish areas. Such actions constitute clear violations of
United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, which
emphasize the need to uphold the mosque's historical and legal status.
The fire that occurred 55 years ago
appears to be part of an ongoing series of violations aimed at altering the
identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and imposing a new reality on it. This continues
amid the complicity of certain international powers and a noticeable lack of
action from Arab countries. This situation underscores the urgent need for
effective international intervention to halt these attacks and hold those
responsible accountable.
Amid these challenges, the will of
the Palestinian and Jerusalemite people stands as the foremost barrier against
these plans, consistently resisting all efforts to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque
and safeguarding its identity against Israeli ambitions. The struggle continues
to uphold international law and ensure the protection of religious sites,
aiming to prevent the recurrence of such crimes in the future.