Rabat – Following Friday’s attack on Al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli forces, condemnations have been pouring in from Palestinian and Arab leaders, as well as international organizations and figures.

The Palestinian presidency considered the raid a “declaration of war,” and a “dangerous development.”

Several Palestinian resistance forces have also warned against the attack and the consequences it could have, recalling images of last year’s offensive against Gaza that followed protests and similar attacks in Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan.

Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement which also governs the Gaza strip, called on people in the West Bank to unite to protect Al-Aqsa, and praised Arab countries’ condemnation of the recent Israeli attacks.

Arab and international reactions

On a regional level, several Arab leaders have condemned the violence.

While Morocco’s official channels have seemingly stayed silent on the topic, Saad Eddine El Othmani, Morocco’s previous Head of Government, said on Twitter: “Around 50 thousand worshippers performed the second Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa, in spite of the Israeli occupation’s ugly attacks.”

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Naif Falah, strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation.”

He stressed the importance of Israel respecting the historic and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites.

Similar statements came from the foreign ministries of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, who condemned the attack and renewed their commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Several Arab countries, as well as different regions of Palestine such as Gaza, have also seen protests take place to condemn Israel’s attacks and support Palestine.

In Jordan, thousands of worshippers who participated in prayers at the Mosque of the University of Jordan chanted slogans supporting Palestine and condemning the restoration of relations between Arab countries and Israel, in a show of solidarity.

Similar protests were conducted near the Israeli embassy in Jordan, where demonstrators chanted pro-Palestine slogans.

Yemen and Mauritania witnessed similar protests, with hundreds taking to the streets in the two countries in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, also repeated calls for respecting the status of the holy sites in Jerusalem, voicing concern over the recent developments and calling for a peaceful solution.

The European Union called on all sides to de-escalate, and reiterated that the status quo for the holy sites must be respected.

The perhaps contrasting official statements from Arab and Western countries seem to have ignited different reactions in Palestine, as an official statement from the Foreign Ministry welcomed some statements, while criticizing others for “not rising up to the required level.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomes the positions of the countries that have expressed their condemnation and denunciation of the dreadful Israeli assault against the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and the worshipers and which held the Israeli government responsible for this aggression and its dangerous consequences on the conflict, and demanded to stop it immediately,” the statement said.

“At the same time, the Ministry expresses its astonishment at the level of recent statements issued by the foreign ministries of some countries about the events of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” it continued. “And deplores the kind of language used as it did not rise up to the level of the event and our expectations.”

Several activists and analysts have also called to memory the recent united Western stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, claiming that there is a racist bias behind the universal condemnation of Russia on one side, and sitting on the fence when it comes to Israeli violations of Palestinians’ rights.

Similar criticisms were levied at Western media agencies, who were criticized for dedicating 24-hour news cycles to the Ukraine war as it was brewing, while barely mentioning similar human rights abuses taking place in the West Bank.

Social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram were also criticized. Facebook allegedly banned Palestinian news pages, while Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid accused Instagram of blocking her stories about Palestine.

Continuing violence

While violent attacks by Israel on Palestinians are always occurring, there has been a spike recently, especially as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan.

Since the start of April, Israeli forces have upped their surveillance of Palestinians and police and military operations, such as the recent attacks in Jenin that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Jenin refugee camp attacks.

The attacks on Jenin were carried out under the pretense of security investigations to track down Diya Hamarshah and Raad Hazem, two Palestinians who had killed eight Israelis in a shooting.

Israel also used claims of disruptive violent actions to raid Al-Aqsa yesterday, even as Palestinian witnesses and worshippers at the mosque said the attack was unjustified, and that Israeli forces had beaten up innocent people including paramedics.

The Israeli forces seem to have doubled down on their crackdown, as they violently dispersed solidarity protests in the West Bank today. Witnesses say live bullets were used to disrupt ambulances as they attempted to transport the injured.

The Palestinian Red Crescent has upped its injury numbers to more than 220, counting multiple attacks in several cities.

The Palestinian mission to the UN recently published a letter condemning the violence, calling on the international community to take tangible and meaningful action against Israel.