Erdogan attacks Netanyahu, promises 'lesson deserved'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will receive the lesson he deserves before the Muslims of the world," against the backdrop of what he described as the "injustice" of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan's remarks on Wednesday came after he performed Eid al-Adha prayers at the Çamlıca mosque on the Asian side of Istanbul.

The Turkish president explained that Eid al-Adha has "a specificity that reflects the meanings of submission and obedience", referring to the meeting of Muslims at the level of Arafat and the start of the return of pilgrims.

Erdogan called for Eid to be an occasion for "the unity and cohesion of the Islamic Ummah," adding, "What is happening in Gaza and Palestine represents a special situation for us on this holiday."

He reiterated his confidence that Netanyahu "will receive the lesson he deserves in front of the world's Muslims," expressing hope that this will be achieved soon.

Raids and arrests in the West Bank on the first day of Eid

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli army carried out a series of raids in the West Bank, coinciding with the first day of Eid al-Adha, and  arrested 4 Palestinians from the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, after raiding their homes.

Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces stormed the village of Urif, south of Nablus, and raided a number of houses, while eyewitnesses reported that soldiers confiscated toys from a store during the raid, and in Jerusalem, the army stormed Qalandia camp amid an intensive deployment in its alleys and surroundings.

These developments come in light of the tightening of Israeli military measures during Eid, and the increase in settler attacks in several areas of the West Bank.

Israel closes the Tomb of the Patriarchs and represses Eid al-Adha worshippers

The Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron in the south of the occupied West Bank witnessed strict Israeli measures on Wednesday morning,  May 27, coinciding with the Eid al-Adha prayers.

 According to Palestinian sources,  Israeli forces closed the gates of the mosque and searched the worshippers, which led to the delay in the entry of a large number of them and the forced of some to go to other mosques.

The forces also fired stun grenades in the vicinity of the mosque, causing panic among worshippers, with only 300 participants.

Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin said that what is happening represents "a religious disturbance and religious terrorism inside the Tomb of the Patriarchs," noting that the number of worshippers did not exceed 30% of the usual.

In Bethlehem, Palestinians performed Eid prayers in the Nativity Square, where the city's Grand Mufti Abdul Majeed Amarneh stressed that "the Palestinian people remain and will not be defeated despite the pressures and the siege."

The Tomb of the Patriarchs Massacre

The massacre at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron took place at dawn on February 25, 1994, when a settler opened fire on worshippers while they were prostrating in the dawn prayers inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, resulting in the death of 29 worshippers and the wounding of more than 150 others.

Following the massacre, the occupation authorities formed an investigative committee known as the Shamgar Committee, but its results were punitive against the Palestinians, as it approved the division of the Ibrahimi Mosque between Muslims and settlers, and according to the decision, 63% of the mosque's area was allocated to Jews, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, the shrines and the open courtyards, which were converted into a synagogue that Muslims are not allowed to enter except for ten days during the year.

The 37 per cent Muslim section includes the Ishaqiya prayer hall and the back of the mosque, the part where Muslims are regularly allowed to pray.

Since then, the Ibrahimi Mosque and its surroundings in Hebron's Old City have been under tight Israeli military control, including electronic gates and checkpoints that impede the access of worshippers, as well as escalating measures that include preventing the call to prayer dozens of times a month under the pretext of "disturbing the settlers."