Dawn of protest: Palestinians stand against 'deal of century' at prayers
Palestinians flock to holy sites in the Great Fajr Campaign, to protest the "deal of the century" and its implications for Haram al-Sharif.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Thousands of Palestinians have taken to the mosques in Jerusalem and the West Bank in protest against Washington’s Middle East plan, known as “the deal of the century,” and its proposed arrangement of opening up Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to the worship of all religions.
“Jerusalem’s holy sites should remain open and available for peaceful worshippers and tourists of all faiths. People of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in a manner that is fully respectful to their religion, taking into account the times of each religion’s prayers and holidays, as well as other religious factors,” reads the 181-page plan, designed by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law.
According to the plan, the sovereignty of the area is granted to Israel, including the Christian and Muslim quarters and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jews have been able to visit the site — known as the Temple Mount to Jews and Haram al-Sharif to Muslims — for more than a decade, but successive Israeli governments allowed only Muslims to pray there. The Trump peace plan allows for Jewish prayer on Haram al-Sharif, which would be an unacceptable change from the status quo, said Martin Indyk, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, in his analysis in Foreign Affairs magazine.
As a reaction to the deal of the century and the ongoing Israeli attacks on mosques, the Palestinians initiated in November the Great Fajr Campaign, which draws thousands to early-morning "fajr," or dawn, prayers - the first of five daily prayers in Islam.
