28 July 2001

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

“Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can.”

The Zionist court’s ruling allowing the laying down of the foundation stone of the alleged temple reveals the Jews’ scheme to demolish the Aqsa

To our Palestinian people …

To our Arab and Islamic masses everywhere …

The so-called Zionist supreme court of justice yesterday passed a ruling allowing the fanatic Jewish organization that calls itself the temple mount faithful to lay down the foundation stone of the alleged third temple at the Maghareba gate, which is adjacent to the holy Aqsa Mosque.

The ruling coincided with statements for some of their rabbis that describe Arabs as ants and allow the cold-blooded assassination of our Palestinian people.

The ruling also fell in line with the terrorist Sharon government’s repressive measures including the siege, starvation, assassination, abduction, demolition of houses, destroying farmland, wrecking premises, mass murders and massacres against our steadfast and unarmed people. The ruling also falls in line with feverish Zionist attempts to judaize the city of Al-Quds, demolish the Aqsa Mosque and erase any Arab-Islamic relics there through excavations and tunnels that were built at the pretext of looking for ancient ruins as a preliminary step to endorse the holy city as a capital of their usurping entity.

Our Palestinian people …

Our Arab and Islamic masses …

Terrorist Sharon paved the way for his terrorist era with the desecration of the Aqsa plaza, which ignited our people’s intifada since that date. The Aqsa intifada and the brave resistance then erupted shaking Zionist security and defeating Sharon’s plan. Here he is today completing what he started yesterday believing that our Arab and Islamic nation had lost all valor and determination.

Our Palestinian people, who are daily presenting greatest models in sacrifice and heroism and who are backed by their Arab and Islamic Nation, are capable of teaching the enemy the bitterest of lessons at the hands of the Mujahideen and commandos.

We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, while drawing the attention to the occupation’s policies and seriousness of its various institutions’ decisions, call for the following:

1-we urge our people with their forces and factions to gather at an early hour tomorrow at the Aqsa Mosque and its yards to resist any attempt to lay down the foundation stone of the alleged temple and to defend the Aqsa with soul and blood.

2-we affirm the importance of unity of the Palestinian people in confrontation of occupation and its dangerous decision and the necessity of breaking all contacts and meetings with that enemy and giving up once and for all any form of security coordination with it. We also call for ending detentions under any political or security pretexts for the sake of serving the enemy or in response to its demands.

3-we invite our Arab and Islamic peoples to express their anger and dismay at the Zionist decision. We urge them to reject it and to condemn the international forces, especially America, which back that enemy, and to pressure the Arab and Islamic governments to adopt an immediate and decisive position against the terrorist Sharon government and his court’s oppressive ruling.

4-we call on the Arab and Islamic countries to denounce the Zionist court’s ruling and adopt immediate steps to condemn that ruling on the part of the international community. We also request them to announce a comprehensive boycott of the Zionist entity on all political, diplomatic, economic and other levels.

5-we re-affirm our call on the Arab and Islamic countries to endorse a political resolution supporting the resistance program against Zionist occupation and activating supportive programs of our besieged people.

Let Sharon, the Zionist court and all Zionist terrorists, rabbis and fanatics know that the time of their entity’s downfall will not be far God willing and that our Mujahid and patient people are capable of foiling their aggressive schemes and defend Al-Quds and the Aqsa and all holy shrines.

 Allahu Akbar … and victory to our Mujahid people

“Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause); for verily Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will).”

The Islamic Resistance Movement
Hamas – Palestine
Saturday 8^th Jumada Awal 1422H
28^th July 2001AD