Israeli Crackdown on Al-Aqsa Mosque Threatens Regional Stability as Tempers Flare
Written By: Nathan Matsko
Photo by Cole Keister on Unsplash
Bellefonte-A series of Israeli airstrikes struck Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on Friday, April 7th, per Reuters.
The airstrikes were retaliatory in nature, following the launch of nearly thirty rockets the day prior from the Hezbollah-controlled region, as well as a handful of rockets from the Gaza Strip in a separate albeit potentially related incident that caused minor damage.
Israeli intelligence believes the rockets were launched by Hamas, and the airstrikes sought to target strategic infrastructure used by the group to conduct their attacks. Experts believe that the attacks coming from Southern Lebanon could not have been conducted without the explicit permission of Hezbollah.
The incident marks the greatest rise in tensions between Lebanon and Israel since the 2006 war. Both Hezbollah and Hamas have denied responsibility for the attacks.
The initial shellings come at a tumultuous time for Israel. While protests over a proposed and controversial judicial reform are ongoing, tensions have also risen over Israeli actions taken at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. A video showing Israeli security forces beating worshippers in the Islamic holy site during Ramadan resulted in widespread condemnation, and likely were the instigating factor for the mortar attacks.
Political FalLout
Israel maintains that demonstrators who had barricaded themselves within Al-Aqsa instigated the incident, a claim which has been disputed by many, but perhaps none more so than Jordanian officials, who have claimed that Israel is responsible for the escalation. Jordan’s King Abdullah ll is the custodian of the Muslim holy site, further complicating the situation. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called the violent response “unprovoked”, and has reportedly refused further dialogue with his Israeli counterpart.
Jordan would move to call an emergency meeting of the Arab League as a result and even went so far as to attempt to make a condemnation of Israel through the UN’s security council. The United States would block the attempt, however.
Relations between Jordan and Israel truly began in 1994 when the two countries signed a peace treaty and remained stable for a time. In recent years, however, the relationship has been strained. In 2019, King Abdullah was quoted as saying relations between Jordan and Israel were at an “all-time low”.
Ghosts of wars past
The retaliatory airstrikes in Lebanon have also worked to stoke fears of a renewed conflict. Israel and Hezbollah have recognized that a direct attack on the Shia organization would result in renewed violence and, inevitably, all-out war, though there are no indications this incident will lead to further action from either side.
Lebanon itself is in no shape for conflict. The country’s economy has been in shambles since 2019, and millions of Lebanese people are unable to afford basic necessities, according to a report at the end of last year by Human Rights Watch. Should a conflict break out between the two nations, the situation would undoubtedly worsen significantly.
During the start of a security cabinet meeting prior to Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had this to say:
“We have no intention of changing the status quo on the Temple Mount. We are calling for calming the situation and we will take strong action against extremists who use violence there.
“Regarding the aggression against us on other fronts, we will strike our enemies and they will pay the price for any acts of aggression.”.