International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 20 Dec 2007

Hamas radio broadcast live from the Temple Mount on Wednesday morning, announcing it will air daily programs from the site, just as Jews and Christians were banned from the holy site during observances of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha.

"Our broadcast is a victory for the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is suffering from Judaization efforts imposed by the Zionist government. Broadcasting daily radio is a way to bring Al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and challenge the siege imposed on us by the Zionist entity," said the manager of the Hamas endorsed radio program, Al Aqsa Radio.

Hamas would not explain how the broadcast was allowed, but Palestinian security sources reported that the Islamic caretakers of the Temple Mount, the Waqf, organized the broadcast with Al-Aqsa Radio.

Palestinian sources stated that the Waqf and the Palestinian Authority were "well aware" that Hams was originating the program from the Temple Mount.

This was not the first broadcast by a Palestinian terrorist group from the holy site. In September, the Islamic Jihad terror milita broadcast daily Ramadan prayers on the al-Quds Network, that is known for its regulary messages of pro-Iranian and anti-Semitic slogans and Jewish death threats, reported Ynetnews.

Meantime, Jewish groups that wanted to tour the Mount on Wednesday morning to start a traditional day of fasting and mourning of the destruction of the First Temple were banned from entering the compound, due to Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday based on the Quranic tradition that Abraham offered to sacrifice Ishmael, not Isaac.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the Temple Institute, called the broadcasts "astounding" and decried the simultaneous ban on Jews entering their holiest site. "There is no greater demonstration of the total spiritual bankruptcy of the Israeli government," he stated.

Copyright © 2007 International Christian Embassy Jerusalem