Following recent visits by Jews to the Temple Mount, especially during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the head of the Hamas Refugee Affairs Department, Dr. 'Issam 'Adwan, published an article on a Hamas-affiliated website in which he urged his movement to launch rockets at Jewish targets in Jerusalem. He wrote that Jews praying in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa was an even worse act than their conquering or demolishing it, and therefore the response must be harsh. He urged Palestinians to prepare themselves and the Islamic nation for a victory battle over Al-Aqsa.

It should be mentioned that, in an article he published several months ago, 'Adwan claimed that Hamas had the right to target Israeli embassies, interests and officials worldwide, as well as the interests of its allies, chiefly the U.S.[1]

The following are excerpts from the article:[2]

'Issam 'Adwan (image: Alresalah.ps)

"I told my interlocutor that Jewish prayers in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa are worse than [the act of] demolishing the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and are more dangerous than [the act of] conquering them, because the mosque's sanctity lies in the soil [itself], and only later in the structure built upon it. Therefore, the response of the Palestinian resistance must be proportional to the danger of this aggression. If the resistance launched a few rockets from Gaza against Jewish targets in Jerusalem, this would [be enough to] convey a stern message to the enemy – that is, that if [the enemy] harms the Al-Aqsa mosque, all bets are off.

"My interlocutor asked me in amazement: Do you believe 'Israel' would stand idly by in the face of resistance rockets [fired on Jerusalem]? I said: 'Israel' would naturally respond harshly to these rockets and strike Gaza forcefully. However, Gaza has no choice but to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque, since harming [the mosque] is worse than aggression against Gaza. Would the resistance in Gaza stand idly by if 'Israel' attacked [Gaza]?!

"My interlocutor said: The world would show sympathy and solidarity if a weak Gaza responded to Zionist aggression against it, but it would not sympathize if the Gaza resistance rushed to bombard Jerusalem. It would see this as aggression by the resistance against 'Israel,' whereas [Israel] would be portrayed as innocent and forgiven for its powerful response [against Gaza]. I answered: in the last two decades the resistance carried out several martyrdom operations in Jerusalem and gained widespread popularity in the Arab and Islamic world [for doing so]. Today it can gain even more popularity in the Arab and Islamic world, since it will be representing the [entire] Islamic world in defending the Al-Aqsa mosque. As for the other world you speak of [the West], it has always condemned the resistance, and still does, and it will always believe that the truth lies with 'Israel.' Therefore, it is worthless... We have already seen how it behaves regarding the Syrian people's disaster.

"My interlocutor said: 'Israel' would use the world's lack of sympathy with the [firing of] resistance rockets at Jerusalem to portray this as an [act of] war against [Israel], and then it would employ all its military might against Gaza. This, in the shadow of an Arab reality of schism and an international plot against Gaza. He wondered: Would it be smart to attack 'Israel,' even in order to defend Al-Aqsa? I said: Allah the Almighty commanded us [to wage] jihad for His sake, not to achieve victory. On the contrary, He unequivocally promised us that 'there is no victory except from Allah [Koran 3:126].' The Almighty [also] said: 'If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely [Koran 3:160].' In all the battles undertaken by the Prophet, peace be upon Him, and by all his legions, and [in all their] Islamic conquests, the Muslims were a minority that stood fast and defeated [an enemy] more numerous and powerful. We must prepare ourselves and our nation for the battle of victory, the battle of Al-Aqsa. Allah will never detract from the reward [we gain] by our actions. Allah deserves the good opinion His worshippers have of him. Allah is enough, and how good it is to rely upon Him."

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