The Israeli daily racist practices against the Palestinian people cannot convince anyone in this universe that it really wants to live in peace with its neighbors and with the indigenous people. This illegitimate state by all accounts falsely claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East, but its policies point to the contrary. It may be democratic towards its Jewish citizens, but not to the Palestinian Arabs, both the Muslims and Christians, because true democracy means freedom for all, including freedom of worship. The recent Israeli government's ban on Palestinian citizens from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque unless they pass through metal detectors was part of the systematic incitement and provocative actions against the Palestinians- not by the Israeli government only but by the Jewish settlers and fanatics. Plans were underway to install "intelligent" cameras while Palestinian men under the age of 50 were not permitted into the al-Aqsa mosque compound, at a time when Jews enjoy their prayers in the Wailing Wall without inspection, barriers, surveillance cameras or age limits. Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holy place for all Muslims after the two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Madinah, has been classified by the UNESCO as an exclusively Islamic heritage site. Nevertheless, the Israeli government is determined to take over the Mosque by all means through various pretexts and lies. Protected by the US veto and the strong Jewish lobbies, Israel, the only remaining occupier in the 21st century, is famous for its rejection and defiance to any UN resolution regarding the Palestinians' rights. This arrogance has reached the point of insulting an Arab country, Jordan, the second Arab country after Egypt to sign a peace treaty, when a guard at the Israeli embassy in Amman killed two Jordanian citizens in cold blood and was greeted by Benjamin Netanyahu as a hero. The Palestinians refused to bow down and thousands resisted these measures for almost a fortnight and continued to offers their prayers in the streets of the occupied city. This time, the Palestinians fought for freedom of their holy shrine without violence. This clever tactic, in addition to pressure from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey , and demonstrations of support in many Muslim and European countries, has forced Israel to remove metal detectors and other security arrangements. Meanwhile, Western governments were deadly silent while these Israeli atrocities were taking place. We wonder what would be their reaction if these atrocities were taken against St. peter's church in the Vatican or the Church of nativity in Bethlehem? Dr. Talal Al Harbi
