15 October 2000

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

Statement on the Jews’ attempt to lay down the foundation stone of the alleged temple tomorrow on the date of the notorious Sharm Al-Sheikh summit

Our Mujahid Palestinian people:
Our Arab, Islamic Nation:

 In a fresh hostile and provocative step the Zionist enemy’s authorities agreed to build the so-called “Temple Mount” and allowed the laying down of the foundation stone of the alleged temple near the honored Dome of the Rock. The Jewish temple mount trustees’ group had purchased more than five tons of marble to use one stone of them as the foundation stone at the construction site and use the rest in building the foundations. The construction will take place tomorrow at the same site under protection of Special Forces of the enemy’s army to coincide with the convening of the ill-famed Sharm Al-Sheikh summit between chairman of the Palestinian Authority and the criminal terrorist Barak with the aim of aborting the holy Aqsa Intifadha. It also coincides with the PA chairman’s submission to demands of Barak to re-detain Hamas cadres who were freed from PA jails by the masses.

We, in face of such a hostile step, affirm the following:

First: We consider the attempt to lay down the foundation stone of the alleged temple in the Aqsa Mosque as a hostile step to our Palestinian people and to our Arab, Islamic Nation. We also consider it as a war against our religion and Islamic beliefs in addition to representing a scorn to feelings of more than 1.3 billion Muslims.

Second: Such a step follows the enemy government’s approval of terrorist Sharon’s stroll in the Aqsa plaza in a bid to ascertain Zionist sovereignty over the Aqsa Mosque and falls in line with the continuous rabid campaign to judaize Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and desecrate sanctities.

Third: The coinciding of laying down the foundation stone for construction of the alleged temple with the convening of the notorious Sharm Al-Sheikh summit raises the anger and denunciation of our people and Nation towards that summit which would work for foiling our people’s Intifadha and frustrating the Nation’s masses that are eager to launch Jihad and resistance. It also falls at a time when criminal Barak is continuing his aggression and suppression of our people in addition to his indifference to our Arab, Islamic peoples’ feelings through desecrating the Aqsa and allowing the laying down of the foundation stone of the temple under the protection of the enemy’s army.

Fourth: We urge our faithful, Mujahid people to head early tomorrow in massive marches and occupy yards of the Aqsa Mosque to repel the attempt of laying the foundation stone of the alleged temple and defend the Aqsa with souls and blood. We particularly appeal to our people in Al-Quds and in Palestinian lands occupied in 1948 to mobilize the biggest possible number of people to foil the enemy’s conspiracies and defend our religion and holy shrines. We also call on our people to take to the streets tomorrow in angry demonstrations and confrontations with the enemy soldiers and herds of settlers in each and every city, village and camp to declare our people’s condemnation and rejection over the PA chairman’s participation in the Sharm Al-Sheikh summit and to resist attempts to judaize the Aqsa and build the alleged temple.

Fifth: We appeal to our Arab and Islamic Nation to continue programs in support of the Aqsa and in solidarity with our people. We ask them to condemn the notorious Sharm Al-Sheikh summit and not to heed whatever it issues since it does not represent our Palestinian people nor our Arab and Islamic peoples.

The Islamic Resistance Movement
(Hamas – Palestine)
Sunday 15 October 2000