Arab MK poses on Temple Mount; calls for Palestinian state to be established at site
An Arab Member of the Knesset posed for a selfie on the Temple Mount, voicing his hopes that soon, the “occupation” will end and that next year, a Palestinian flag will fly over Judaism’s holiest site.
Omri Haim, a writer for Kan News, posted a screenshot of a tweet by Ayman Odeh, a member of Knesset and leader of the Hadash party. Odeh posed in front of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, with the following caption:
“With my beloved son Tayeb in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. We offer you our best wishes on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. I wish you and your families all the best, and we will remain together on the path until the bloody occupation ends and the flags of an independent Palestine are raised here. Happy new year to humanity.”
The tweet was deleted from Odeh’s Twitter feed.
It should be noted that the structure in the background is, in fact, the Dome of the Rock and not the dark gray domed Aqsa Mosque, as Odeh claimed. Odeh is considered a moderate leader in the Arab bloc.
Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu, a Temple Mount activist NGO, slammed Odeh’s actions.
“Odeh, a member of the Israeli government stands on the holiest site of Judaism and proclaims his allegiance to a fabricated state called Palestine,” Nisani told Israel365 News. “This kind of ‘free speech’ is protected by the Israeli government for which he serves, but Jewish prayers in the same place are penalized.”
“Israelis, it’s time to get our heads out of the sand and demand a return of our heritage, rights and dignity on the Temple Mount,” Nisani said.
Dr. Melissa Jane Kronfeld, the founder of the High on the Har Temple Mount advocacy organization, was highly critical of Odeh.
“The soon-to-be former Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh has once again demonstrated that his loyalties are not to the State of Israel that he was elected to serve,” Dr. Kronfeld said. “He does not represent his electorate; the many peace loving Arab Israelis that live in equality with their Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters in the State of Israel.”
“”Odeh’s allegiance lies with an imaginary state that harbors terrorists, and whose constitution espouses Jew hate,” she said. “As a Jewish Israeli, I am not afforded the right to ascend to the Temple Mount whenever and however I want. As a Jewish Israeli, I will be banned from ascending on Wednesday and Thursday due to this Muslim holiday that Odeh is celebrating. This is a distinct reminder of the anti-Jewish apartheid that exists in the state of Israel, the only Jewish state in the world.”
This is not the first time Odeh has made such statements. In April 2021, just as major Arab rioting broke out all over Israel and massive rocket attacks from Gaza began, Odeh posted in Arabic and Hebrew on Facebook:
“This is not the first time that the police and the government have acted violently.”
“It’s good that they removed the checkpoints at the Damascus Gate – they did nothing but spread violence and hatred. The price has been paid by the people of east Jerusalem, who will continue to fight against the oppression and discrimination of the occupation.”
“These clashes are sometimes calm and sometimes violent,” Odeh continued, “and this will be the case until the intifada comes to end the occupation and hoist the Palestinian flag above the Al-Aqsa mosque, above the churches and above the gates of Jerusalem,” he added.
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