“Today, everyone pulls out their phone and takes pictures… Every one of us could become a target. It causes fear.”
By Pesach Benson, United With Israel
A video of a Palestinian nearly being lynched inside the Al Aqsa Mosque on suspicion of collaborating with Israel has sparked widespread fear in eastern Jerusalem, Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday.
The report did not identify the man’s name, but described him as a resident of eastern Jerusalem’s Wadi Joz neighborhood who “belongs to a large and well-known clan.”
The footage shows a man inside the Al Aqsa Mosque with a garbage basket over his head being jostled by angry Palestinians. He was accused of sending photos and videos to Israeli security forces from inside the mosque, where Palestinians had barricaded themselves during Sunday’s Jerusalem Day clashes on the Temple Mount.
The man denies the accusation, but the paper reports that his family, fearing retribution, have “turned their backs” on him.
And now Palestinians tell Israel Hayom the video has created widespread fear throughout eastern Jerusalem.
A group of Palestinians capture a suspected ISF collaborator inside the Al-Aqsa mosque pic.twitter.com/l8kK0GSocY
— Francesco Comito (@FrancescComito) May 29, 2022
“Today, everyone pulls out their phone and takes pictures. That’s what the guy who was attacked did. In a situation like this, every one of us could become a target. It causes fear. A person filming video becomes a suspect, and now people are more frightened,” said one eastern Jerusalemite.
“It’s creating panic, mostly among people who were suspected or accused of helping Israel,” said another resident.
“This incident shows that they aren’t protected. It happened in broad daylight, at a central location at Al-Aqsa, surrounded by [security] forces. People dared to attack him, film it, and publish it on social media. It projects weakness on the part of the Israeli authorities,” the resident added.
Collaborating with Israel, treason and selling land to Jews all carry a death penalty in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip.
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