Fireworks lit the skies of Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem last night celebrating the attempted assassination of Yehuda Glick, one of the leaders of the movement that calls for the right of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.

Palestinian activists on social media networks and forums expressed their joy at the attack, which left Glick seriously wounded. They praised the gunman, calling him a martyr, and strongly condemning his killing by Israeli forces earlier today.

Glick, 50, was shot in his upper body by a motorcyclist outside the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, after an annual event organized by the Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement.

Israeli security services say they shot and killed an Arab suspect in the shooting, Mu’taz Hijazi, a former Palestinian prisoner and an Islamic Jihad member. Hijazi was arrested by Israel for terrorist activities and spent 11 years in prison, according to Palestinian sources (Arabic link). He was released in 2012.

Following the attack, a Hamas member published a statement on the movement’s forum, in which he reminded (Arabic link) readers of a “Hamas statement a few days ago according to which the response to what is happening in Jerusalem will surprise the enemy.”

Islamic Jihad released a formal response (Arabic link) to the event justifying the attack against Glick, alleging he incited against Palestinians in Jerusalem. The movement called for all Palestinians to flock to the al-Aqsa Mosque, which is located on the Temple Mount.

Here are some of the comments which appeared on Palestinian forums and social networks in the last hours:

Successful assassination operation, thank God (al-Itihad al-Mutayan, Hamas Forum) Congratulations guys (Abu al-Yasin, Hamas forum) Allah is the greatest. This is a quality operation that had only one precedent in the history of the Palestinians (al-Qasam brigades, Hamas Forum) Sweet. This is a revenge for the martyrs of Jerusalem (Abu al-Yasin, Hamas forum)

The attack occured less than two weeks after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas demanded Jews be barred from the Temple Mount, and called on Palestinians to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque.

The incidents threaten to further increase the tensions in Jerusalem, where clashes have taken place recently between Arab protesters and the police.

This past spring, Israeli authorities arrested a Hamas operative who revealed that the terror organization had been funding young men to harass Jews who entered the Temple Mount complex.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to prevent more clashes, Israel announced that the Temple Mount is closed to Jews and Muslims until further notice. The Palestinians condemned this decision.

[Photo: Al Quds Brigades ]