The Haram Al-Qudsi (Noble Sanctuary) housing the Al-Aqsa Mosque was invaded and occupied by Israeli police yesterday. Stun grenades were fired by Israeli forces at worshippers. Live ammunition was also used. And the Muslim world slept. Israeli forces told the media that they had reinforced an already existing police presence in the area with an additional 3,000 troops. Why? Israeli authorities feared Palestinian worshippers, who numbered in the tens and hundreds were expected to demonstrate against the Israel excavations near the Noble Sanctuary. The Israel Antiquities Authority said the excavations, expected to take months, is to strengthen an access ramp to Dung Gate for the benefit and safety of visitors after damage caused by an earthquake and snowstorms in February 2004. The clerics in the mosque urged the Israelis to stop firing at the demonstrators, but to no avail. And the Muslim world slept. Not only did the Muslim world sleep, but the two usurpers of Palestine, Hamas chief Khaled Al Meshaal and Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas hugged and kissed in Mecca on Thursday, congratulating each other for having petty turf wars which killed off nearly 60 of their supporters. Including women and children. And the Muslim world slept. Careful sleeping giant, for as you slumber others will steal your prayer rug right from underneath you. And that is what has happened. The Palestinians brutally took arms against one another and while the upper echelons of the rival factions journeyed to Mecca, Jerusalem was the target of an insidious plot. Divide and conquer, old chaps, divide and conquer. But it is of no concern to the leaders who rested on finely made Italian furniture shaking hands with those who would wear elegant silken robes worth thousands of dollars. On Al-Jazeera, Mohammed Hussein, mufti of Jerusalem, called for medical assistance for wounded Palestinian worshippers. When ambulances arrived, Israeli troops refused to grant them entry. As I write this, I am watching a Palestinian man receiving urgent medical aid for a severe head wound that is too gruesome to describe on these pages. Mohammed Hussein and the rest of the Muslim clergy then resorted to calling members of the diplomatic corps in Israel begging them to exert pressure on Israeli authorities to allow the ambulances in. Palestinian civilians who scrambled to rush first aid equipment to the Al-Aqsa Mosque were pushed back by Israeli troops. Why is this happening now? First off, the divide and conquer axiom is not to be underestimated. Second, the Al-Aqsa Mosque - and the threats it faces under a brutal Israeli occupation - reverberates with Muslims. Therefore, if you want to provoke Muslims plan your Shavuot outing in the Noble Sanctuary. And third, which most local experts tend to agree on, is Israel's attempt to derail mediation and reconciliation in Mecca. Fatah will be soft on Israel regarding today's violation. Hamas will not. The two will disagree. A suicide bombing here, a few dead Palestinian children dead there, and Ariel's your uncle. Bravo, Mahmoud. Bravo, Khaled. You have handed Israel its greatest victory. The Mosque is built of cement and brick. Human lives are much more expendable. Once, Muslims marched in outrage when holy sites were violated, ignoring that tens of thousands of their brothers and sisters were killed in conflicts partially of their making. Seven hundred thousand dead Iraqis - no one marches for them, but cartoons and brick are reason for outrage. But now, even the desecration of holy sites is no longer sancrosanct. And the Muslim world slept.
