UK

The joy of seeing Ramadan, Easter and Passover in one supermarket aisle

One mainstream store had offerings reflecting the Muslim, Christian and Jewish festivals

People gather at the UK's largest open Iftar organised by the Ramadan Tent Project, 

on the steps of the Royal Albert Hall, London on Wednesday. PA Wire

There are a number of ways to measure an inclusive, tolerant society: the ability for anyone to walk freely and safely in public; equality and opportunity in the workplace; and respect for all irrespective of, for example, skin colour, age and gender. But can the extent of a society’s inclusivity and tolerance be gauged simply by wandering around a supermarket? Most definitely.

Buying goods and services has always been an essential part of human existence, from the everyday items of food and clothing to personalised and specialist treats and luxuries. Our lives depend on the essentials, but how we fulfil ourselves depends on the broader range of items and the experience that is wrapped around them when we set out to shop.

If you go into a shop and the products and services you seek are absent, the implicit message is that the way that shop’s owners thinks about individuals is not shaped around you. You have no place in it. It shows that your needs, your lifestyle and the very essence of who you are have not been recognised and is, most likely, not valued. You are excluded. And this sort of exclusion can extend to society at large. After all, if shops in a particular country or even city do not have products you are looking for, there is a good chance this means that manufacturers, product managers, business leaders, marketeers and others have simply not considered your existence. In fact, not even your pound, dollar, dirham or rupee matters in such circumstances.

A shopper at a supermarket in London ahead of Easter. EPA

Growing up in the UK, the implicit and explicit messages I received from many people and institutions around me suggested that my ethnicity and heritage were inferior. I sometimes got the impression that I needed to hide them and even be ashamed of them. The concept of Ramadan was often considered shocking and unimaginable, while Eid celebrations were viewed as an aberration when compared to other mainstream holidays. My hunch is that friends and peers from other minority cultures, backgrounds and religions had similar experiences.

This sense of negativity and exclusion is, sadly, something that is deep rooted for so many.

Imagine, then, my delight when I recently walked into a local supermarket and noticed something I thought was profoundly beautiful. In one aisle were offerings for Ramadan, Easter and Passover all in a row, reflecting the Muslim, Christian and Jewish festivals. That is because this weekend, the Christian world is observing Easter. Ramadan is ongoing with Eid on the horizon. It's also Passover as well as Vaisakhi, which is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs all over the world. In short, there is a confluence of faiths and festivities – each with its own unique meaning and accompanying rituals.

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Being a Muslim, my heart was already bursting with delight that Ramadan was something that had been thought about, and that the practice of fasting was considered important. But I was even happier to see that other faiths were also being recognised, and happier still that these offerings had been placed right next to one another, inside a mainstream British supermarket no less.

It made me think about how in my own lifetime there's been a fundamental shift in attitudes.

Now, some might argue that this is simply the outcome of the commercialisation of religions and their festivals, and that retailers have become wise to new ways of tapping into consumer spend. There is truth to that assertion. However, it should not detract from the point that being recognised in public spaces as integral to society is important. Businesses and brands just need to be mindful that they are supporting and enhancing festivals rather than simply stripping them of meaning and turning them into shopping fests. Consumers, meanwhile, need to keep these businesses honest in doing so.

The Easter Market in Szczecin, Poland, last week. EPA

There is something joyful about the coming together of faiths, their representation and contribution in the public space. Too often, people of faith can face discriminations or prejudice for who they are, and sadly there is a commonality across faiths in such experiences. But in the multiplicity of religions, we should see the uniting factor of people seeking meaning in their lives as well as efforts to do good and work towards societal betterment.

Seeing them celebrated together in the public space, side by side, is a positive step towards improving and maintaining much-needed social cohesion. Religion as a concept has a place on our high streets, in our shops and in our malls. It is not something to be hidden away or ashamed of.

Published: April 15, 2022

Shelina Janmohamed

Shelina Janmohamed is a columnist for The National

Libya green group battles to save remaining forests

by Jihad Dorgham

Khalifa Ramadan, the leader of the "Friends of the Tree" group who work to raise awareness about green areas around Tripoli, plants a tree at his farm in Tajura.

War-ravaged Libya is better known for its oil wealth than its forests, but environmentalists hope to save its remaining green spaces from logging, development and the impacts of climate change.

The "Friends of the Tree" group works to raise awareness about green areas around the capital Tripoli that are quickly disappearing because of drought, human activity and desertification.

"Man has destroyed forests" and much of the vegetation, said the group's leader Khalifa Ramadan, who has been working in agriculture and gardening for 40 years.

At his farm in Tajura, an eastern suburb of Tripoli, Ramadan has planted eucalyptus, palm and laurel trees, which the group plans to replant around the capital.

The group meets weekly to launch media campaigns and carry out activities to confront "the dangers facing Tripoli and other coastal cities", said Ramadan.

Rainfall is scarce in the largely desert country, which is only starting to recover from the years of bloody conflict that followed the 2011 uprising which toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The group, which includes dozens of agronomists, horticulturists and volunteers, ultimately would like to revive a "green belt" project from the 1950s and '60s that has withered during decades of dictatorship, war and turmoil.

The Friends of the Tree group meets weekly to launch media campaigns and carry out activities.

Back then, Libyan authorities dipped into the country's wealth to plant forests across an area stretching from Tripoli to the port city of Misrata, 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the east.

Strict laws at the time aimed to control urban expansion and soil erosion and to stop the desert from sweeping into Tripoli, while also opening new areas for agriculture.
'Criminal acts'

Today Libyan state institutions, weakened by rivalries and continued insecurity, have struggled to bring stable governance, including on protecting the environment.

In recent years, at least 1,700 criminal cases have been identified involving activities such as unauthorized logging and illegal construction, says the agricultural police.

In Garabulli, a coastal area east of Tripoli—famed for its pristine white sands and its centuries-old eucalyptus trees, acacias and wild mimosas—tree trunks litter the ground next to some illegal constructions, recently demolished on judicial instruction.

Members of the Agricultural Police: in recent years, at least 1,700 criminal cases have been identified involving activities such as unauthorised logging and illegal construction, the police say.

"The green belt has become the target of numerous violations over the past few years," said General Fawzi Abugualia, spokesman for the agriculture police.

The police unit is ill-equipped to deal with all these challenges, but has nevertheless managed to score some points, he said.

With help from other security services, the agriculture police "have put a stop to these criminal acts", he said, referring to the destruction at Garabulli.

They have managed to seize back more than 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of land in the area that had been misappropriated by builders to construct private homes or seaside resorts.

Falling water tables

But Libya and its forests face other, more long-term challenges—especially water scarcity driven by climate change and population pressures.

Abderrahman Mohamad, a volunteer who works alongside Ramadan, said the groundwater had dropped dramatically, particularly around Tripoli.

Man has 'destroyed forests' said Khalifa Ramadan, who has been working in agriculture and gardening for 40 years.

Map of Libya.

General Fawzi Abugualia, spokesman for the Agriculture Police, says the green belt has become the target of numerous violations.

"A few decades ago, you had just to dig 40 or 60 meters deep to find potable water," said the 65-year-old man. "Now you need to go deeper, to around 100 or 160 meters, to find it."

According to the World Resources Institute, Libya along with the other North African nations of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, is among the world's 30 most water-stressed countries.

Ramadan remains determined to do what he can to bring change and green more areas of the troubled country.

"We must teach people to preserve trees and encourage them to plant," he said, adding that this serves to "stabilize soils, temper the climate, clean the air and attract rain".

© 2023 AFP

Explore further  Climate change, human activity threaten Libya nature reserve

Israeli-Palestinian Clashes Erupt in Jerusalem as Holidays Converge

The violence broke out at the Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, on the first day of a rare concurrence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter.


Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli police clashing at the Aqsa Mosque 

compound in Jerusalem on Friday.

Credit...Mahmoud Illean/Associated Press

By Patrick Kingsley and Raja Abdulrahim
April 15, 2022

JERUSALEM — Clashes between Israeli riot police and Palestinians erupted at one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem early on Friday, the first day of a rare convergence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter, culminating weeks of escalating violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The clashes between the Israelis and Palestinians throwing stones lasted for hours at the site, the Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, as tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers were gathered there for dawn prayers on the second Friday of Ramadan, the holy fasting month.

Many more people were expected to pour into the Old City during the day for the Muslim weekly Friday Prayer and to celebrate Good Friday and the first night of Passover, which begins at sundown.

The Israeli police fired sound grenades and rubber bullets during hours of clashes at the site, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The police expelled many of the worshipers, but some returned afterward. At least 117 Palestinians were injured, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The Israeli police said that several officers had also been injured.

The confrontation raised the risk of further escalation following a recent wave of Arab attacks on Israelis and deadly Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank. Tensions and violence around the Aqsa Mosque compound played a central role in the buildup to an 11-day war last May between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Patrick Kingsley is the Jerusalem bureau chief, covering Israel and the occupied territories. He has reported from more than 40 countries, written two books and previously covered migration and the Middle East for The Guardian. @PatrickKingsley

Raja Abdulrahim is a correspondent in Jerusalem focused on Palestinian affairs. @RajaAbdulrahim

Israeli police, Palestinians clash at Jerusalem holy site

According to cops protestors entered compound, revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as Noble Sanctuary, to break up a violent crowd that remained at the end of morning prayers

Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli security forces.
Reuters

Reuters | Jerusalem | Published 15.04.22

At least 152 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the Palestine Red Crescent said, two weeks into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli security forces have been on high alert after a series of deadly Arab street attacks throughout the country during the past two weeks, and confrontations at the sacred Jerusalem site carry the risk of sparking a slide back into wider conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

In a statement, Israeli police said hundreds of Palestinians hurled firecrackers and stones at their forces and toward the nearby Jewish prayer area of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City after Ramadan morning prayers.

Police entered the Al-Aqsa compound to "disperse and push back (the crowd and) enable the rest of the worshippers to leave the place safely", it said, adding that three officers were injured in the clashes.

Reuters video showed officers, some in riot gear, chasing a small number of people after most of the crowd had left.

Israeli police arrested more than 80 Palestinians, Sheikh Omar Al-Kiswani, director of Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Palestine TV.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it "holds Israel fully and directly responsible for this crime and its consequences".

“Immediate intervention by the international community is needed to stop Israeli aggression against Al-Aqsa mosque and prevent things from going out of control,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who governs self-ruled areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza, said Israel "bears responsibility for the consequences".

The Al-Aqsa compound, which sits atop the Old City plateau and is known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as Temple Mount, is the most sensitive site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Tensions this year have been heightened in part by Ramadan coinciding with the Jewish celebration of Passover.

Last year saw nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police during the Muslim fasting month. Threats of Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem and police raids at Al-Aqsa helped ignite an 11-day Israel-Gaza war that killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.

Since March, Israeli forces have killed 29 Palestinians as in the course of carrying out raids in the West Bank after Palestinian assailants killed 14 Israelis in a string of attacks in Israeli cities.

Al-Aqsa is the third holiest in Islam and is also revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples.

Israel captured the Old City and other parts of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and claims the entire city as its eternal, indivisible capital. Palestinians seek to make East Jerusalem, including its Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites, the capital of a future state.

At least 67 Palestinians injured after clashes erupt at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque

By Euronews with AP • Updated: 15/04/2022 - 

Israeli security forces gather during clashes with Palestinian demonstrators at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City - 

 Copyright AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

Israeli security forces entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem before dawn on Friday as thousands of Palestinians were gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

The resulting clashes wounded at least 67 Palestinians, medical teams on the scene said.

Israel said its forces entered to remove rocks and stones that had been gathered in anticipation of violence.

The clashes come at a particularly sensitive time. Ramadan this year coincides with Passover, a major weeklong Jewish holiday beginning Friday at sundown, and Christian holy week, which culminates on Easter Sunday.

The holidays are expected to bring tens of thousands of faithful into Jerusalem's Old City, home to major sites sacred to all three religions.


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Videos circulating online showed police firing tear gas and stun grenades and Palestinians hurling rocks and fireworks on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque.

Others showed worshippers barricading themselves inside the mosque itself amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it evacuated 67 people to hospitals who had been wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades or beaten with batons.

The endowment said one of the guards at the site was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.
Police acted to prevent violence, Israeli authorities say

The Israeli police said three officers were wounded as a result of “massive stone-throwing”, with two evacuated from the scene for treatment.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said dozens of masked men carrying Palestinian and Hamas flags marched to the compound early Friday and gathered stones.

“Police were forced to enter the grounds to disperse the crowd and remove the stones and rocks, in order to prevent further violence,” it tweeted.

The police said they waited until prayers were over and the crowds started to disperse. In a statement, it said crowds started hurling rocks in the direction of the Western Wall, a nearby Jewish holy site, forcing them to act. They said they did not enter the mosque itself.

Israel's national security minister, Omer Barlev, who oversees the police force, said Israel had “no interest” in violence at the holy site but that police were forced to confront “violent elements” that confronted them with stones and metal bars.

He said Israel was committed to freedom of worship for Jews and Muslims alike. Police said Friday's noon prayers at the mosque — when tens of thousands of people were expected — would take place as usual.

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Palestinians view any large deployment of police at Al-Aqsa as a major provocation.

The holy site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has often been the epicentre of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions were already heightened amid a recent wave of violence.

Clashes at the site last year sparked an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to Al-Aqsa and other major holy sites, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally.

Palestinians want the eastern part of the city to be the capital of a future independent state including the West Bank and Gaza, which Israel also captured during the war nearly 55 years ago.

The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It is built on a hilltop in Jerusalem's Old City that is the most sacred site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the site of the Jewish temples in antiquity.

It has been a major flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence for decades and was the epicentre of the 2000-2005 Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
Tensions keep soaring

Tensions have become increasingly heightened in recent weeks following a series of attacks by Palestinians that killed 14 people inside Israel.

Israel has carried out a wave of arrests and military operations across the occupied West Bank, setting off clashes with Palestinians.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 17-year-old died early Friday from wounds suffered during clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, the day before.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed in the recent wave of violence, according to an Associated Press count, many of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in the clashes, but also an unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been killed by mistake.

Weeks of protests and clashes in Jerusalem during Ramadan last year eventually ignited an 11-day war with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

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Israel strikes Hamas targets as Gaza conflict continues

Israel had lifted restrictions and taken other steps to try and calm tensions ahead of Ramadan, but the attacks and the military raids have brought about another cycle of unrest.

Hamas condemned what it said were “brutal attacks" on worshippers at Al-Aqsa by Israeli forces, saying Israel would bear "all the consequences." It called on all Palestinians to “stand by our people in Jerusalem.”

Earlier this week, Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza had called on Palestinians to camp out at the Al-Aqsa mosque over the weekend. Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to take over the site or partition it.

Israeli authorities say they are committed to maintaining the status quo, but in recent years nationalist and religious Jews have visited the site in large numbers with police escorts.

In pictures: Israeli forces storm al-Aqsa Mosque in dawn raid


Israeli forces have injured scores of Palestinian worshippers inside al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem

MEE and agencies
15 April 2022 

Israeli security forces entered the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem before dawn on Friday as thousands of Palestinians were gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan (Reuters)



Footage showed worshippers attempting to barricade themselves inside the mosque as Israeli forces stormed the area (Reuters)



Scores of people were injured as Israeli security officers fired rubber-coated steel bullets, teargas and stun grenades inside the courtyards and prayer halls of the mosque (AFP)



Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, condemned the raid and said Israel "bears responsibility for the consequences" (AFP)



Medics, journalists, mosque volunteers and women were targeted, according to Palestinian media reports (AFP)



The raid came ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover, set to start on Friday and last until 23 April, during which far-right Israeli settlers have vowed to raid al-Aqsa Mosque and slaughter animals inside its courtyard as a religious sacrifice (Reuters)

More than 100 hurt in Jerusalem clashes as religious festivals overlap


By AFP
Published April 15, 2022
Guillaume Lavallee

More than 100 people were wounded Friday in clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli police at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in fresh violence as Jewish and Christian festivals overlap with Ramadan.

Israeli police said that before dawn “dozens of masked men” marched into Al-Aqsa chanting and setting off fireworks before crowds hurled stones towards the Western Wall — considered the holiest site where Jews can pray.

A Palestinian Red Crescent official said 117 people were rushed to hospitals and “dozens of other injuries” were treated at the scene. Israeli police said three officers were hurt.

The latest clashes come after three tense weeks of deadly violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank, and as the Jewish festival of Passover and Christian Easter overlap with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount, referencing two temples said to have stood there in antiquity.

Witnesses said Palestinian protesters threw stones at Israeli security forces, who fired rubber-coated bullets and sound grenades towards some of them.

An AFP photographer said more than 100 Palestinians were seen hurling projectiles towards the Israeli security forces.

– ‘Violent riot’ –

Last year during the Muslim month of fasting, clashes that flared in Jerusalem, including between Israeli forces and Palestinians visiting Al-Aqsa, led to 11 days of devastating conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas.

The mosque compound is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, falling within Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Israeli police said that on Friday, dozens of masked men “marched into Al-Aqsa mosque at 04:00… chanting inciting messages and setting off fireworks” and collecting “stones, wooden planks and large objects, which were then used in a violent riot”.

“Despite these actions, police forces waited until the prayer was over,” a statement said.

“Crowds then began to hurl rocks in the direction of the Western Wall… and as the violence surged, police were forced to enter the grounds surrounding the Mosque,” it said, adding police “did not enter the mosque.”

The violence subsided later in the morning, AFP correspondents said.

“We have no interest in the Temple Mount becoming a centre of violence, which will harm both the Muslim worshippers there and the Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall,” Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said on Twitter.

Before Ramadan began this month, Israel and Jordan stepped up talks in an effort to avoid a repeat of last year’s violence.

Jordan serves as custodian of the mosque compound, while Israel controls access.

– Spiralling violence –

Israel has poured additional forces into the West Bank and is reinforcing its wall and fence barrier with the occupied territory after four deadly attacks in the Jewish state that have mostly killed civilians in the past three weeks.

A total of 14 people have been killed in the attacks since March 22, including a shooting spree in Bnei Brak, an Orthodox Jewish city in greater Tel Aviv, carried out by a Palestinian attacker from Jenin.

Twenty-one Palestinians have been killed in that time, including assailants who targeted Israelis, according to an AFP tally.

On Thursday Israel announced it would block crossings from the West Bank and Gaza Strip into Israel from Friday afternoon through Saturday, the first two nights of the week-long Passover festival, and potentially keep the crossings closed for the rest of the holiday.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has given Israeli forces a free hand to “defeat terror” in the territory which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War, warning that there would “not be limits” for the campaign.

Some of the attacks in Israel were carried out by Arab citizens of Israel linked to or inspired by the Islamic State group, others by Palestinians, and cheered by militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Three Palestinians died Thursday as Israeli forces launched fresh raids into the West Bank flashpoint district of Jenin, a week after the Bnei Brak attack.

Revived TV drama breaks Iraq's taboos

Baghdad (AFP) – After a 27-year hiatus, an Iraqi TV programme banned by Saddam Hussein for its gritty depiction of life under sanctions has returned to portray drug lords thriving in the war-scarred country.


Issued on: 18/03/2024

Iraqi actors film scenes for a television series to be broadcast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when TV viewership traditionally peaks 

© AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP

Television viewership in the Middle East traditionally peaks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful tune in to their favourite shows after breaking their daily fast at sunset.

This Ramadan, a revived "Wahiba's World" is one of several Iraqi shows focusing on social issues such as drug addiction, crime, divorce and unemployment.

It delves into "issues troubling our society as a consequence of war and chaos," the programme's director Samer Hikmat told AFP.

Iraqis have suffered through decades of turmoil since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and former dictator Saddam's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which triggered harsh economic sanctions.

They were followed by a US-led invasion in 2003, civil war, sectarian violence and the jihadist proto-state of the Islamic State group, which was only defeated in late 2017.

The oil-rich country of 43 million, still recovering from those conflicts, is now plagued by endemic corruption and clientelism, a weak economy, poor public services and high unemployment.
'Drug-fuelled wealth'

Decades of instability have created "a class of people who have profited from the chaos," Hikmat said, pointing in particular at newly wealthy drug dealers.

"Young people fall victim to this dark path."

This Ramadan, several Iraqi shows focus on social issues including drug addiction and crime © AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP

Iraq, traditionally mainly a transit country for drugs, has faced an explosion in narcotics use in recent years, mainly of the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon and crystal meth.

The first series of "Wahiba's World", released in 1997, told the story of Wahiba, a nurse who makes every effort to help her neighbours amid the crippling international sanctions that plunged many Iraqis into poverty and crime.

Seventeen minutes into the broadcast of the first episode, authorities banned the programme, fearing it could incite people against the regime.

A year later, the show received a regional prize and authorities allowed it to be aired, but only at midday, considered a dead time slot.

This year, the show began airing on the first day of Ramadan during prime time on the Iraqi local private channel UTV.

Several actors had died during the long hiatus, but many others reprised their roles. In the revival, Wahiba plays a supporting part to her granddaughter and namesake, a psychiatrist, as the main character.

Unemployment, divorce and child marriage are among other topics addressed in this year's series © AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP

In a busy industrial area in Baghdad's centre, in the same garage where scenes from the first series were shot, director Hikmat filmed a segment in which drug lord Alaa threatens to behead a member of his gang.

Actor Zuhair Rashid, who portrays the drug dealer Alaa, said the programme showed the grim reality of "drug-fuelled wealth, its consequences and tragic endings".

- 'Sensitive issues' –

Despite these efforts, Iraq's worn-out entertainment industry is still far from gaining recognition in a region where Syrian and Egyptian programmes have long held the top spot.

After the rise of IS, Iraq's drama shows, which only air on local television, have focused chiefly on telling stories of the jihadists' brutal rule and the war to defeat them.

But critic Mehdi Abbas said there is a noticeable trend this Ramadan, with "the majority of this year's shows tackling issues that are a threat to society".

Another new show, titled "Nay" -- flute in Arabic -- addresses unemployment, especially among art students, and the growing gap between rich and poor.

Actress Suzanne Salehi, who stars in it, said the programme recounts the "yearning for an opportunity" of youth.

An Iraqi director supervises the filming of the Iraqi series 'Al-Waziriya' -- despite such efforts, Iraq's TV industry is still far from gaining regional recognition 

© AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP

"Separation", another Iraqi show, is based on real divorce stories that writer Hassaballah Yehya followed in court, reflecting increasing break-up rates in the country.

It also tackles child marriage, which is not uncommon in Iraq, especially in rural areas. The legal age of marriage in Iraq is 18, but it can be lowered to 15 in cases of parental or judicial consent.

"People usually avoid sensitive issues," Yehya said, adding that "we're trying to break taboos."

© 2024 AFP

Palestinians mark Eid in al-Aqsa days after Israeli forces attacked worshipers

Palestinians mark Eid in al-Aqsa days after Israeli forces attacked worshipers

Palestinian Israeli conflict

Muslims perform the morning Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, outside the Dome of the Rock mosque in the al-Aqsa mosques compound in Jerusalem early on May 13, 2021. (AFP

AFP, Jerusalem
Published: 13 May ,2021

Palestinian Muslims performed the morning Eid al-Fitr prayer in the al-Aqsa mosque’s compound in Jerusalem on Thursday, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, days after Israeli forces attacked worshipers in the compound.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Tensions have soared over Israel's planned eviction of Palestinians from a district in east Jerusalem, which Israel sees as part of its eternal capital but is considered occupied by the United Nations.

Several nights of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police, particularly around the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, spiraled early this week into a barrage of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza strip and rocket fire from Gaza.

Smoke billows from Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on May 11, 2021. (AFP)

The sharp escalation has killed at least 32 Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip and three Israelis and wounded hundreds more.

Despite the confrontations and attacks, photos and videos showed an estimated 100,000 worshipers gathered at the holy site to perform the Eid prayers.

Muslims perform the morning Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, outside the Dome of the Rock mosque in the al-Aqsa mosques compound in Old Jerusalem early on May 13, 2021. (AFP)




A Palestinian woman takes a selfie as the Dome of the Rock is seen in the background, during Eid al-Fitr prayers on May 13, 2021. (Reuters)

Muslim women blow up balloons as worshippers celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, after the morning prayer at the al-Aqsa mosques compound, with the Dome of the Rock mosque in the background, in Old Jerusalem early on May 13, 2021. (AFP)

Muslim children celebrate in front of the Dome of the Rock mosque after the morning Eid al-Fitr prayer at the al-Aqsa mosques compound in Old Jerusalem early on May 13, 2021. (AFP)

Muslim worshippers gather at the al-Aqsa mosques compound in Old Jerusalem for the morning Eid al-Fitr prayer early on May 13, 2021. (AFP)

Palestinian youths pose as a friend photographs them, while the Dome of the Rock is seen in the background, during Eid al-Fitr prayers, which mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the compound that houses al-Aqsa mosque on May 13, 2021. (Reuters)

People wave Palestinian flags during Eid al-Fitr prayers, which mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the compound that houses al-Aqsa mosque on May 13, 2021. (Reuters)

UN chief calls for Ramadan ceasefire in Sudan


By AFP
March 7, 2024

Supporters of the Sudanese armed popular resistance, which backs the army, ride on trucks in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on March 3, 2024 - Copyright AFP -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for warring parties in Sudan to agree to a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, warning that the country’s humanitarian crisis is reaching “colossal proportions.”

“In just days, the holy month of Ramadan will commence. So from this chamber today, I am making an appeal. I call on all parties in Sudan to honor the values of Ramadan by honoring a Ramadan cessation of hostilities,” he told a Security Council meeting.

Deputy British Ambassador James Kariuki announced a draft Council resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire before the holy month of Ramadan and urging all parties to allow for unhindered cross border and cross line humanitarian access.”

He said he hoped for a vote on Friday.

Sudan has been rocked by a brutal war that has killed thousands — including up to 15,000 in a single Darfur town, according to UN experts — and displaced millions since last April.

The war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has also destroyed infrastructure and crippled Sudan’s economy.

It has also uprooted more than eight million people, in addition to two million who had already been forced from their homes before the conflict — making it the world’s largest displacement crisis.

The UN’s World Food Programme had warned on Wednesday that the nearly 11-month war risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis.

“The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is reaching colossal proportions,” Guterres told the Council on Thursday.

Some 25 million people, half the population, need life-saving assistance, he said.

“Water and sanitation systems are breaking down. Diseases are multiplying. Hunger is stalking Sudan. Some 18 million people are acutely food insecure. This is the highest number ever recorded during a harvest season, yet numbers are expected to surge even higher in the coming months,” he continued.

“We are already receiving reports of children dying from malnutrition.”

He repeated fears about civilians mobilizing, and new armed groups entering the fray, and cited reports of systemic sexual violence including rape, gang rape and human trafficking.

“All these dangerous developments are pouring fuel on the fire for an even more serious fragmentation of the country, a deepening of intra- and inter-communal tensions, and more ethnic violence,” he said.

THE THREE ABRAHAMIC SECTS
Passover, Easter, Ramadan 2022 fall simultaneously

In a rare conjunction, three major holidays of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are occurring at the same time this year.



The three largest monotheistic religions will be celebrating in Jerusalem this weekend

This Friday, Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus, and on Sunday celebrate Easter, marking their belief in his resurrection. On Friday, Jewish people celebrate the eve of Pesach, commonly called Passover, which commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the end of their slavery.

And this weekend as well, Muslims around the world mark another Friday, their weekly holiday, within the month of Ramadan, which began on April 2 and ends on May 2. This coincidence of dates is unusual, especially as far as the proximity of the Islamic Ramadan to the Christian Lent or to the dates of Pesach and Easter is concerned.

This rare conjunction of holidays is possible because unlike the Christian calendar, which is determined by the course of the sun and is widely used in the Western world, the Islamic calendar is aligned with the moon and the lunar year. Twelve months in the solar year last 365 days, in the lunar year, on the other hand, only 354 days. Thus the Islamic cycle of holidays moves across the Western calendar over the course of a good three decades.

PASSOVER IN PICTURES: JEWS OBSERVE HOLIDAY OF DELIVERANCE
Passover: A freedom celebration
Passover, also called Pesach, is one of the major Jewish holidays. The week-long holiday begins at sundown on the first day. It follows the lunar calendar, meaning it takes place every year on different dates, but it usually falls in mid-March or April. It celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt under the leadership of the Old Testament prophet Moses.
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'Siblings in humanity'

The shorter course of the year offers Muslims "the chance to experience Ramadan as well as other festivals in different seasons and different climatic conditions," the spokesperson for Germany's Coordination Council of Muslims, Abdassamad El Yazidi, told DW. At the same time, it ensures that the Muslim holy days coincide over time with various holy days of Christians and Jews. "That should remind us that we are all siblings in humanity and must work together for good."

The Jewish holiday of Pesach and the Easter date of the Western churches, on the other hand, always occur quite close together in early spring. But they don't often fall on precisely the same date. In 2022, Passover begins on April 16, and the Christian Holy Week — which began on April 10 on Palm Sunday — climaxes from Maundy Thursday evening on April 14 to Easter Sunday morning. The holiday covers Jesus' "Passion," from the last supper with his disciples to the celebration of the resurrection.

The difference is due to the fact that the Christian calendar dates Easter to Sunday since the year 325 CE, more specifically to the first Sunday after the spring full moon. In the Jewish calendar, on the other hand, Passover can begin on any day of the week.

TRADITIONS AND RITUALS OF RAMADAN
Ramadan: Islam's holiest month
Every year, millions of practicing Muslims across the world fast, pray and give alms in observance of Islam's holiest month, the exact dates of which change each year. From firing off cannons to lunar sightings, DW explores how Muslims mark the occasion and what it means to the faithful.
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Jerusalem celebrates

Nowhere in the world do the celebrations of multiple monotheistic religions come together as closely as in Jerusalem. One can feel how all three religions are "looking forward to these days," German Benedictine monk Nikodemus Schnabel told DW. In what he described as an "intense time" there, "the city literally vibrates with the various pilgrims, as if there was a need to catch up after the coronavirus, to celebrate outside again and to come together for the festivals," said the monk, who has lived on the outskirts of Jerusalem's Old City for many years.

Ultimately, according to Schnabel, the common experience of a pilgrimage festival connects the religions. Christian churchgoers parade in prayer through the Old City for several days in a row. On Friday morning, Muslims go to the mosque on the Temple Mount for prayer. And during these days, many Jews are drawn to pray at the Wailing Wall — the ruins of the Western Wall of the Second Jewish Temple in antiquity. The location is considered by many Jews to be one of the holiest sites to pray at, due to its proximity to the nearby Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the ancient temple. In view of the political tensions in the area, such days are always a challenge for all security forces in the city.

GERMANY'S BEST-LOVED EASTER TRADITIONS

The decorated Easter egg

Germans love painting Easter eggs. The Sorbs, a cultural minority in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, are famous for their art of beautifully decorating eggs with wax. You can learn more about the Slavic minority and their customs at the Spreewald Museum in Lübbenau.

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Easter in Orthodoxy

After this weekend, however, the Easter celebrations are not over. In the Orthodox churches and some of the Eastern churches associated with the Catholic Church, the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus is not held until the following weekend.

The reason for the differing dates is that in 1582, the Eastern Christians, under Pope Gregory XIII, opted for a calendar reform that shifted liturgical timing towards the Gregorian calendar. Those traditions now mark the beginning of spring differently.

The Greek, Russian, and other Eastern Christian Orthodox churches are celebrating Easter this year a week after the Western Christians. And in Germany, Ukrainian-speaking communities are preparing for a large crowd. Churches are expecting many Christians who have fled the Russian invasion in recent weeks.

This article was originally written in German.

SEE 

 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2007/04/passover-song.html

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Pagan Origins of Easter 

Coffee-hooked Libyans brace for low-caffeine Ramadan days

Aziz EL MASSASSI
Tue, March 21, 2023 


Italy left a deep cultural mark on Libya, the only Arab country it colonised: a national love of espresso. But as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan approaches, Libyans are preparing to go without.

Throughout the Islamic holy month, which is due to begin this week, observant Muslims everywhere are expected to refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk.

During Ramadan, "we spend the whole day dreaming about the coffee we're going to drink", said Abdel Basset Hamza, a shopowner in Tripoli's Old City.

"There's nothing that we drink more than coffee," the 63-year-old said as he donned a hat and down jacket to step away from his luggage store to order a late afternoon brew.

Tripoli's centre is dotted with a myriad of cafes, from tiny kiosks to large halls, all equipped with sophisticated Italian espresso machines.

While coffee is an integral part of daily life across North Africa and the Middle East, Hamza boasted that Libya stands out from its neighbours where "you don't find coffee of this quality made in this way with such machines".

As Ramadan approaches, the pavements outside the capital's cafes heave with mostly male crowds enjoying their last daytime beverages before the fasting begins.

Mohamed Zourgani, who runs an Old City cafe which his grandfather bought in the 1950s, said he does not expect business to slow due to the fast, just to become concentrated in the evenings.

"The coffee Libyans usually drink over 16 hours, during Ramadan they drink over two hours, from as soon as the sun goes down," said the 31-year-old with a well-groomed beard.

Immediately after people break their daily fast, he predicted, they will rush "to drink coffee as if it were water".

- On every table -

Libyans have been drinking coffee since at least the 15th century, as beans from Yemen made their way along North African trade routes and into Europe.

But when Italy occupied formerly Ottoman-ruled Libya in 1911, the country's coffee culture adopted a new twist, with punchy espressos taking the place of cardamom-tinted Arabic coffee.

That said, old habits die hard, according to Zourgani.

"The older generation still loves its Arabic coffee, but young people mostly order espresso or macchiato," he said as his waiters served the thick black liquid into paper cups.

"Even when war is raging, Libyans have to have their coffee," he added.

The oil-rich country has seen over a decade of war, since the 2011 revolution that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi, and its capital bears the scars of several major battles that raged there as recently as 2020.

But Tripoli's cafes still do a brisk trade, with punters sitting at street-side tables, discussing politics and daily life while sipping a "tazza" of coffee, an espresso-sized cup that costs less than a euro.

Some cafes even serve a localised version of affogato, with the Italian dessert stripped of its traditional liqueur.

Ali Khawaja, a 24-year-old in a leather jacket, said he has been a coffee addict since adolescence, but Ramadan was an opportunity to appreciate the drink more.

"Coffee is on every iftar table," he said, referring to the fast-breaking meal at dusk.

"After we break our fast, we spend the evening drinking it outside with friends."

bur-aem/rb/ezz/par/noc/fz

On the first day of Ramadan, Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The bloodshed came as Palestinians marked the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which has previously seen intensified attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces open fire on Palestinian protesters on Friday [Getty]

The New Arab Staff
02 April, 2022

Israeli forces killed three Palestinians travelling in a car in the occupied West Bank early on Saturday, as Palestinians marked the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

A special unit of the Israeli army opened fire on a car with the three men inside near the town of Arraba, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The three men were identified as Khalil Tawalbeh, from Jenin, Saeb Abahreh, from al-Yamoun town, near Jenin, and Saif Abu Libdeh, from Tulkarm, according to Wafa.

After the shooting, a large unit raided and sealed off the area, preventing ambulances from entering, Wafa said, adding that Israeli forces took away the bodies after refusing to hand them over to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Israeli forces also took away the car, which was riddled with bullet holes, according to witnesses.

Israeli forces alleged that the three were members of the Islamic Jihad group, adding that they opened fire in an operation to arrest them.

The Islamic Jihad confirmed the three deaths.

"We mourn the death of our three hero fighters," the armed wing of the Islamist movement said.

RELATED

Palestinians hope for a 'peaceful' Ramadan amid tensions

MENA

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Gaza Strip’s Hamas issued a warning to the Israelis.

"The enemy's policy of assassination in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem will not provide it with so-called security," Hamas said.

The bloodshed came as Palestinians marked the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which has previously seen intensified attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Last year during Ramadan, Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshippers in the al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem, which led to 11 days of devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas.

On Friday, Israeli forces shot dead a 29-year-old Palestinian during protests in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Ahmad al-Atrash was taking part in a protest against Israeli settlements and had previously served six years in an Israeli prison before he was killed by Israeli forces fire.

The Israeli army said that during a "riot" in Hebron, "a suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail" at soldiers, who "responded with live fire".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 70 people were wounded in Friday's clashes with the Israeli army in the Nablus area of the northern West Bank.

Rights groups have repeatedly slammed Israeli forces for showing "appalling disregard for human life" by using "reckless and unlawful lethal force" against Palestinians.

Amnesty International has repeatedly urged an end to the "worrying rise in unlawful killings by Israeli forces, fostered by a culture of impunity".

The West Bank, which has been occupied by Israeli forces since the 1967 Six-Day war, is home to nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers, living in communities deemed illegal under international law.

NOT A MOB BUT MUSLIM WORSHIPPERS
Israel claims Muslims barricaded in Al-Aqsa Mosque are 'dangerous mob' after Jordan warning
By Adam Schrader

Palestinian women cross the Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank and Jerusalem, to attend the third Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

 Photo by Alaa Badarne/HEPA-EFE


April 8 (UPI) -- Israel claimed without providing evidence Saturday that Muslims barricaded inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem are a "dangerous mob" after a warning from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry about breaching the sacred site and assaulting worshippers.

Tensions in the Middle East have been rising after Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque and assaulting Palestinian worshippers celebrating the month of Ramadan, forcing them out to allow Israelis inside.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located at the Temple Mount, the highly contested holy site for Muslims, Jews and Christians. The site is under the management of the government of Jordan and Jewish religious law prevents visiting the site.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry released a statement Saturday warning Israeli officials that there are "disastrous consequences" for Israel's "continued violation" of the sanctity of the mosque and the right of Muslims to worship Ramadan as Israel plans to again remove worshippers from the holy site.

Israel strikes Gaza, Lebanon in escalation of conflict after Al-Aqsa mosque raid

The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded by alleging that everyone holed up inside the mosque are a "dangerous mob" who are "radicalized and incited by Hamas and other terrorist groups."

Israel holds Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, responsible for all actions from Gaza.

"We call on Jordan, through the Waqf guards, to immediately remove from the Al-Aqsa Mosque these extremists who are planning to riot tomorrow during Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount and the Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

The United States and Israel are long-time allies and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Yoav Gallant, his Israeli counterpart, on Saturday to underscore "his support for Israel's security against all threats," according to a readout from the U.S. Defense Department.

The news came as the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said in a statement that Israeli forces shot dead a young Palestinian man in the West Bank.

The provocative scene at Al Aqsa mosque
07 Apr 2023



Israeli police carry off a Palestinian from the Al Aqsa Mosque compound following a raid of the site in Jerusalem’s Old City. APThe settled international norm is that only Muslims can worship in the Al Aqsa mosque, the third holiest Islamic shrine in the world, has been under siege as Israeli troops stormed into the mosque compound and earlier in the week fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse Palestinians gathered inside the mosque, and several of the Palestinians were seriously injured. The Palestinians wanted to stay overnight and offer the traditional night prayers but the Israeli authorities usually allow this only in the last 10 days of Ramadan. The Palestinians were also readying themselves as they were responding to the threat of some Jews who wanted to sacrifice an animal to mark the Jewish religious observance of the Feast of Passover in the mosque compound. This was a provocative act in the holy month of Ramadan, and the hardline groups from the Gaza Strip fired rockets into Israel, and it looked like that another vicious cycle of violence had begun. Both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia condemned the Israeli troops entering the Al Aqsa. On the other hand, Israelis have been offering prayers at the Wailing Wall, the remaining part of the old Jewish temple attributed to the legendary Solomon, and this in violation of the international norm.

Meanwhile Israel has been bombing Syrian targets backed by the Iranians. And on Wednesday, rockets were fired from Lebanon into north Israel, and a Lebanese security official speaking on condition of anonymity said that it were Palestinian groups which were firing the rockets and not the Israel-backed anti-Israel group Hizbollah. The Hizbollah had already condemned Israeli troops storming the Al Aqsa. This statement if accepted would help avoid a wider conflagration. But tensions are rising mainly due to the provocative stance of the far-right parties in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led coalition government.

The United States had defended the aggressive stance of the Israeli government, both in Gaza and in Syria. Principal Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, “Israel has legitimate security concerns and has every right to defend themselves.” But he was also careful enough to assert: “We emphasise the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem and any unilateral action that jeopardises the status quo to us is unacceptable.” But the question is how much the aggressive elements in Netanyahu’s government would heed the American warnings, especially National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The new Israeli government while facing massive unrest over its attempt to weaken the Israeli Supreme Court though legislation, but the government’s far-right elements are only too eager to provoke the Palestinians on the religious score, and it is this provocative attitude that could alienate Israel from its newly-made friends like UAE among the Gulf Arab states. And America is not in position to rein in the extreme elements in Israel’s coalition government. It would be unreasonable to demand that the Palestinians, who are hemmed in the crowded West Bank cities and towns that they should not be provoked by the Israelis. The tactic of the Israeli authorities is to humiliate the Palestinians by hurting their religious sentiments. That is an incendiary policy if there is one. Israel is overconfident that it can parry any military response from its Arab neighbourhood. But that could be changing fast enough with Russia and China entering the Middle Eastern checkerboard in terms of diplomatic and military intervention. Until now, it were the US and Israel which were able to dictate the Middle East security scenario. This is fast changing. The recent moves by Gulf Arab leaders to integrate Syria and its leader Bashar Al Assad into the Gulf Arab security architecture reveals the determination of the Gulf Arab states to pursue their own specific geo-strategic interests. Israel cannot hope to control the narrative with the help of the Americans.

After Days Of Violence, Jerusalem Prayers End Peacefully

April 9, 2023


Ramadan prayers and Jewish Passover visits at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound passed without incident on Sunday, after days of tension at the flashpoint Jerusalem site which led to cross-border exchanges of fire.

Small groups of Jewish visitors under heavy police guard walked through the mosque compound, known in Judaism as Temple Mount, as thousands of worshippers gathered for the Passover holiday’s special “Priestly Blessing” at the Western Wall below.

The Al-Aqsa compound – sacred to Muslims and Jews – has been at the centre of a security crisis set off last week when Israeli police raided the mosque to dislodge what they said were youths barricaded inside armed with rocks and fireworks.

Footage of the raid, showing police beating worshippers, triggered a furious reaction across the Arab world, sparking rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian factions that were met with Israeli strikes on sites in Gaza, south Lebanon and Syria.

There were no reports of casualties.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon’s armed Shi’ite movement Hezbollah, met with Palestinian Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Lebanon, the group said on Sunday, and discussed the Al-Aqsa events.

Israeli security experts have said that Iran-backed Hezbollah likely gave its permission to Islamist Hamas to fire the rockets from Lebanon.

“Our enemies were wrong when they thought that Israel’s citizens were not united in support for the IDF (Israel Defence Forces),” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who is facing unprecedented protests at home against judicial changes – said in a statement.

In Gaza, Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson urged “all fronts to unite and confront the escalation by the arrogant (Israeli) occupation.”

HOLIDAY CLOSURE

The Israeli military said that in light of the security situation, it would extend a closure on the West Bank and Gaza until April 13, when Passover ends.

On Friday, two Israeli sisters from a settlement in the occupied West Bank were killed when their car came under fire by suspected Palestinian gunmen. Hours later, an Italian tourist was killed when a car driven by a man from an Arab city in Israel ploughed into a group in a shoreline park in Tel Aviv.

The funeral of the two sisters, who had dual Israeli and British nationality, is due to be held later on Sunday.

After a year of escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence, tensions are running especially high as Ramadan and Passover coincide, with a focus on the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s walled Old City. Clashes there between police and worshippers helped spark a 10-day war Israel-Gaza war in 2021.

As in previous years, the government is expected to ban entry to the compound to non-Muslims for the last 10 days of Ramadan, which is expected to end on April 20 or 21, though far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the ban not to be imposed this year.

The post After Days Of Violence, Jerusalem Prayers End Peacefully appeared first on International Business Times.

Tensions build around Jerusalem shrine after Syria rockets


By Associated Press

Apr 9, 2023

Israeli warplanes and artillery have hit targets in Syria following rare rocket fire from the north-eastern neighbour, as Jewish-Muslim tensions reach a peak at a volatile Jerusalem shrine with simultaneous religious rituals.

Thousands of Jewish worshippers gathered at the city's Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, for a mass priestly benediction prayer service for the Passover holiday.

At the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a walled esplanade above the Western Wall, hundreds of Palestinians performed prayers as part of observances during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli police escort Jewish visitors marking the holiday of Passover to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem, on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) (AP)

Hundreds of Jews also visited the Al-Aqsa compound under heavy police guard on Sunday, to whistles and religious chants from Palestinians protesting their presence.

Such tours by religious and nationalist Jews have increased in size and frequency over the years, and are viewed with suspicion by many Palestinians who fear that Israel plans one day to take over the site or partition it.

Israeli officials say they have no intention of changing long-standing arrangements that allow Jews to visit, but not pray in the Muslim-administered site.

However, the country is now governed by the most right-wing government in its history, with ultra-nationalists in senior positions.

Tensions have soared in the past week at the flashpoint shrine after an Israeli police raid on the mosque.

On several occasions, Palestinians have barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque with stones and firecrackers, demanding the right to pray there overnight, something Israel has in the past only allowed during the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Covered in prayer shawls, Jewish men of the Cohanim Priestly caste participate in a blessing during the holiday of Passover, in front of the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) (AP)

Police removed them by force, detaining hundreds and leaving dozens injured.

The violence at the shrine triggered rocket fire by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, starting on Wednesday, and Israeli airstrikes targeted both areas.

Late on Saturday and early on Sunday, militants in Syria fired rockets in two salvos toward Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

A Damascus-based Palestinian group loyal to the Syrian government claimed responsibility for the first round of rockets, saying it was retaliating for the Al-Aqsa raids. 

Israeli police escort Jewish visitors marking the holiday the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) (AP)

In the first salvo, one rocket landed in a field in the Golan Heights. Fragments of another destroyed missile fell into Jordanian territory near the Syrian border, Jordan's military reported.

In the second round, two of the rockets crossed the border into Israel, with one being intercepted and the second landing in an open area, the Israeli military said.

Israel responded with artillery fire into the area in Syria from where the rockets were fired. Later, the military said Israeli fighter jets attacked Syrian army sites, including a compound of Syria's 4th Division and radar and artillery posts.

  Jewish men of the Cohanim Priestly caste participate in a blessing. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the violence in a telephone call with Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog late Saturday, telling Herzog that Muslims could not remain silent about the "provocations and threats" against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and said the hostilities that have spread to Gaza and Lebanon should not be allowed to escalate further.

In addition to the cross-border fighting, three people were killed over the weekend in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The funeral for two British-Israeli sisters, Maia and Rina Dee, who were killed in a shooting was scheduled for Sunday at a cemetery in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Etzion in the occupied West Bank.

'Fantastic' find under future Aldi site a colourful link to Roman times
View Gallery

An Italian tourist, Alessandro Parini, 35, a lawyer from Rome, had just arrived in the city a few hours earlier with some friends for a brief Easter holiday. He was killed Friday in a suspected car-ramming on Tel Aviv's beachside promenade.

Over 90 Palestinians and have been killed by Israeli fire so far this year, at least half of them affiliated with militant groups, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Palestinian attacks on Israelis have killed 19 people in that time. All but one were civilians.

People gather and lay flowers at the site where Alessandro Parini, an Italian tourist, was killed in a Palestinian attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, April 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) (AP)