by Moshe Burt
Israel National News has reported Friday, Erev Pesach, that nearly 500 people, presumably Arabs, including many Iaraeli Arabs, were arrested during
rioting on Har HaBayit and in the Al Aqsa Mosque:
In clashes with law enforcement yesterday (Friday) morning on the Temple Mount, about 470 people were arrested. 130 suspects have been jailed, some of whom will be brought in tonight for the police to request they be given extended detentions.
65 minors were arrested and released on restrictive conditions.
What follows seem truly astounding, if true:
World Israel News has emailed its subscribers that Israel Caved to Hamas Demands, Fearing Rocket Attacks — Report:
In order to prevent rocket fire on Israeli communities, Jerusalem reportedly agreed to the Gaza-based terror group’s demand.
Negotiating through third parties, the Israeli government reportedly agreed to a number of demands from the Gaza-based Hamas terror group in order to prevent an escalation after hundreds of arrests at the Al-Aqsa Mosque last week.
On Friday morning, Israeli security forces arrested an estimated 470 rioters who stockpiled weapons and fireworks inside the mosque and later hurled projectiles and clashed with Israeli police.
According to Channel 12 News, Hamas was gearing up to fire on the Jewish State in the aftermath of the arrests on Friday, but an Egyptian negotiator convinced the terror group to refrain from escalation.
In a statement, Hamas said that its head, Ismail Haniyeh, had spoken on the phone with Egyptian and international officials, including United Nations Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland.
Haniyeh demanded that Israel free all those arrested on the Temple Mount, as well as pledge to halt “its killing and assassination operations in Jenin and across” Palestinian areas.
An Egyptian negotiator — identified by Qatari news as the son of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — was said to have reiterated Hamas’ demand that Israel release all the rioters detained on Friday; otherwise, it would launch rockets.
Both sides reportedly accepted the proposal.
Just hours later on Saturday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced the end of a widespread Passover closure of crossing points from Palestinian Authority-controlled areas into Israel.
The closure had been imposed in order to stymie terrorist attacks, but Palestinians complained that the move created economic hardship, especially for businesspeople and merchants whose economic security is greatly dependent upon trade with Arab-Israelis.
Subsequent corroborating reports by Israel National News: Jerusalem police disappointed with release of arrested rioters, Jerusalem Post and other sources tend to give credence to the World Israel News report:
Gantz lifts closure on Judea and Samaria during intermediate days of Passover:
Israel’s defense minister has decided to lift the security closure imposed on Judea and Samaria on Friday and Saturday during the intermediate days of the Passover holiday, his office announced on Saturday night.
The decision was made in line with recommendations by security agencies, according to the statement, which added that the situation would be assessed on an ongoing basis.
Former security chief blasts Gantz’s decision not to impose closure on Judea and Samaria:
A Likud lawmaker and former chief of the Shin Bet Israel Security Agency slammed Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s decision not to impose a closure on Judea and Samaria during the Passover festival, which coincides this year with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Speaking with Galei Tzahal Sunday afternoon, MK Avi Dichter (Likud) called for a full closure to be imposed on Judea and Samaria, barring passage into pre-1967 Israel to Palestinian Authority residents, as Israel has done during most holidays in the past.
“The decision of the Defense Minister to lift the closure on Judea and Samaria was a mistake.”
“There are enough Arab rioters in east Jerusalem, and when you legitimize more people coming in, the situation gets bad.”
“But we can still correct the mistake of lifting the closure. We can close the entrances into Jerusalem from Judea and Samaria, and isolate them.”
“It is outrageous that Jews are unable to visit the Western Wall in peace for the Birkat HaKohanim [priestly blessing] – we cannot tolerate that.”
Hamas seeks to Bolster Its Image as ‘Defender of Jerusalem’:
Hamas has once again emerged as a major player in events taking place in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Since last year’s war with Israel, Hamas has sought to portray itself as the sole “defender of Jerusalem and the Islamic holy sites.”
It has also been working hard to prove that the recent wave of terror attacks in Israel and in Jerusalem and the West Bank are the direct result of Hamas’s daily calls for stepping up the “resistance” against Israel.
At the same time, Hamas has been keen to ensure that the violence does not spread to the Gaza Strip.
Although Hamas officials on Saturday denied reaching a deal with Israel to prevent an all-out confrontation following Friday’s riots at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (the Temple Mount), they nevertheless confirmed that they had held indirect negotiations with the Israeli government over the past few days.
If true, these contacts show that the mediators consider Hamas an influential actor in the Palestinian arena.
[Senior Hamas official Saleh al-]Arouri said… that despite the alleged undertaking, which was reportedly relayed through Egypt, Qatar and other parties, Hamas does not trust Israel. He called on the Palestinians to remain in a state of high alert “to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.”
Hours after Arouri’s statements, Hamas supporters gathered at the site and began preparations for thwarting purported attempts by Jews to “storm into al-Aqsa Mosque.”
As part of the preparations, Hamas supporters brought stones, iron bars and fireworks into the mosque. They were joined by dozens of men who are not necessarily affiliated with Hamas.
After the clashes began, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, found himself at the center of a flurry of diplomatic activity to avert another war with Israel.
After holding a series of phone calls with senior Egyptian intelligence officials, Haniyeh was contacted by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
According to some reports, Haniyeh presented to the mediators Hamas’s “conditions” for easing the tensions.
These included allowing free access for Muslim worshipers to al-Aqsa Mosque compound, ending the “animal sacrifice” ritual and Israeli “killings and assassinations” in the West Bank, and releasing the Palestinians who were arrested by the Israeli security forces earlier in the day.
The release of several detainees late Friday and the reopening of the al-Jalama checkpoint to Israeli Arabs wishing to enter Jenin on Saturday sparked rumors that Israel and Hamas have reached a new truce agreement.
But several Hamas officials were quick to deny the rumors in an apparent attempt to avoid being accused by Palestinians of making concessions on Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Even if the reports and rumors about a new truce deal are inaccurate or false, what is certain is that Hamas has once again shown that there is no ignoring its role in events taking place in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
WATCH: Jewish Worshippers Attacked in Jerusalem’s Old City [Arrow down in the report to view the video of the attack.]
Jewish worshippers were attacked by two individuals in Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, Hebrew media reported.
This attack comes amongst many other small clashes that have taken place in the city on the same day, which consists of numerous Arab rioters throwing stones at Egged buses en route to the Western Wall and ongoing tensions between rioters and Israeli police at the Temple Mount.
The video shows three Jewish worshipers wearing prayer shawls passing through one of the alleys at the scene when rioters suddenly attacked them violently, threw large objects at them, punched and kicked them and then fled the scene.
Two suspects in the incident were arrested by Israeli police.
On Sunday alone, eighteen were arrested for disrupting public order and harassment of Israeli civilians, according to a police spokesperson.