Desecration of Islamic and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine Spurs Global Indifference
RAMALLAH – Since October 7th, Palestine’s Islamic and Christian holy sites have become targets in Israeli military operations and settler attacks, signaling defiance that reaches beyond occupied Palestine’s territories. This ongoing conflict of over 75 years stretches its implications globally, affecting Muslims and Christians worldwide.
Although Israeli targeting has most notably centered on Islamic holy places and symbols, particularly mosques and the Holy Quran, official Palestinian sources confirm that Christian sites and symbols have also been targeted. The Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the complete destruction of 100 mosques, including the historic Al-Omari Mosque, as well as partial damage to 192 mosques and 3 churches, according to the Gaza Media Office. In addition, several cemeteries have been destroyed and desecrated.
From the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army directed its assaults toward the hearts of more than 1.7 billion Muslims when its soldiers broadcasted Torah chants through loudspeakers in two mosques during a raid in Jenin from Tuesday to Thursday last week, issuing warnings to residents. The Jenin incident is not isolated, as prior incidents have seen soldiers invade mosques in towns, villages, and camps across the West Bank, hoisting the Israeli flag on minarets. In the village of Budrus, west of Ramallah, soldiers threw a bomb inside a mosque, making sure to photograph these acts and circulate them on Hebrew social media platforms.
Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, often shares images applauding the soldiers’ actions on his social media accounts. Whenever the Israeli army announces the detention or investigation of some of its soldiers, Ben Gvir swiftly defends them and opposes their prosecution.
Al-Aqsa Mosque has experienced unmatched isolation since its occupation in 1967. Presently, only a few thousand can perform the Friday prayer there, in contrast to the tens of thousands who used to attend even in the most challenging times. Conversely, it is widely accessible to settlers’ raids with military and police forces accompanying them, permitting them to perform Torah rituals on site.
While Al-Aqsa faced 46 incursions by settlers during the past October and November, the call to prayer was suppressed 204 times at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The Palestinian Ministry of Waqf reports that stringent measures restricted entry for prayer. Testimonies from recently released detainees indicate that soldiers desecrated copies of the Holy Quran, stepping on them in homes during arrests and in prison cells.
As for Christian holy places, their situation is equally grievous though less prevalent. In Jerusalem, extreme Jewish religious groups repeatedly harassed and spat on Christians. Amid the war, settler associations began efforts to seize around 11 dunams (1 dunam equals 1,000 square meters) of land within the Old City walls of Jerusalem. The dwindling community of approximately 1,000 individuals is desperately working to prevent this takeover.
Sheikh Hatem al-Bakri, Minister of Wakfs and Religious Affairs, expresses to Al Jazeera Net that since taking control of the West Bank in 1967, the Israeli occupation has intended to transform religious landmarks as it did after the 1948 Nakba in the mosques of the 1948 territories. From day one, the occupation has targeted Al-Aqsa Mosque, culminating in the fire in 1969 and efforts to divide it as done with the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, converting part of it into a synagogue in 1994.
Al-Bakri emphasizes that the destruction of mosques and the foolish acts of soldiers desecrating them receive approval from officials within the occupation’s government. These actions only lead to increased violence and conflict, demanding a clear global stance, especially from international religious authorities who have been prompt in condemning such acts.
Hassan Khater, head of the Jerusalem International Center and a specialist in Al-Aqsa Mosque affairs, warns that violations of Muslim sanctities signal a dangerous phase of irreverence towards Islamic holy sites, possibly inciting a religious war. By mocking and attempting to diminish the sacredness of these sites, there is a precarious push toward conflict. Historical lessons remind us that every assault on Muslim sanctuaries is met with a response that comes at a high cost to the aggressor.
