Israel seeking to change al-Aqsa status: Activist

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ashraf Eid al-Ajrami, former Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs in Ramallah, to discuss the recent violence in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), where Israeli forces have clashed with Palestinian worshipers at al-Aqsa Mosque for the second consecutive day.

What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: So we are looking at the al-Aqsa Mosque. That is Islam’s third holiest site and the way that Israel is dealing with it is that they allow settlers to go in there and do what they do controversial in itself and prominent Israeli official. This is one of the core issues between Palestinians and Israelis. Where do you see this going because at this point, for example these two days shows how severe this escalation is getting to reach a crisis point?

Ajrami: Yes, the Jerusalem issue is very important issue, maybe the most important issue of the core issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Israeli government stopped the peace process totally so it is now the situation to try to change the status quo in the al-Aqsa square or the holy square in the Old Jerusalem and this may lead to third Intifada.

I think the Israeli government, this cabinet of Netanyahu is a cabinet of settlers. They tried to change the status quo to have some kind of division in al-Aqsa square to make the Jewish religious groups come to al-Aqsa when they want to come like Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron (al-Khalil).

This is the situation. I think it is very dangerous because the second Intifada started after the visit of the opposition leader Sharon at that time and now the escalation led by the Israeli government may cause another Intifada, maybe another clash between the two sides.  

Press TV: Well the problem that you have here is you are looking at a peace process that is dead and the best that the US President Barack Obama who in essence US being a negotiator in this has said that the peace process is not going to happen during my tenure and he further said that this is going to remain for years to come, giving an indication that for the next few years there is not going to be any solution to the problem.

So what we are looking at is Israel escalating its illegal activities and pursuing all these policies at a very rapid pace. Is that the best that the international community can do, in this case in terms of the US and its failure regarding the peace process?

Ajrami: Of course not. The international community must intervene in this issue, the problem here the Palestinian people suffer under occupation in the West Bank and in Gaza Strip and at the same time the settlers all the time try to change the situation on the ground by stealing the lands of the Palestinians, by also controlling the holy square in al-Quds and in other places.

When the Israeli government protects these settlers and also its policy leads to some kind of escalation, I think the international community must intervene and must impose on Israel some kind of pressure to make Israel change its policy and to keep the situation at least until the peace process starts again and the negotiations between the two sides after the conditions between the two sides will be changed.

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