by Daniel Siryoti
Alleged Iranian efforts to fuel tensions on holy site "a serious security and intelligence failure," former defense official says
The Palestinian Authority
had knowledge of Iran's involvement in the recent Temple Mount protests
in Jerusalem's Old City
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Photo credit: AP  |
Lawmakers on Tuesday called for an
investigation of Iran's alleged involvement in the recent unrest
surrounding the Temple Mount.
Israel Hayom reported
that tens of thousands of Muslim protesters received prepackaged meals
along with notes citing a famous quote attributed to 1979 Iranian
Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: "With the help of Allah,
Palestine will be liberated! Jerusalem is ours." The notes also depicted
the Dome of the Rock and the Palestinian flag.
According to reports in the Palestinian media,
a nongovernmental organization run by Iranian youth movements was in
charge of distributing the meals. Arabic news sites affiliated with the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also pointed to Iranian NGOs as being
behind the "supply of food to the heroes fighting for the liberation of
the besieged Al-Aqsa mosque until victory is achieved over the Zionist
occupier."
A number of ministers and MKs said they would
demand an investigation into how an organization funded and supported by
Tehran and affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards was able to operate
in Jerusalem, under the nose of security forces.
One former senior defense and intelligence
official told Israel Hayom that the report of Iranian efforts to fuel
the Temple Mount crisis "exposed a serious security and intelligence
failure."
"It is inconceivable that representatives of
the Revolutionary Guards are operating undisturbed in Jerusalem and the
intelligence and security establishment is unaware of it." According to
the official, this would be a more serious failure if the intelligence
bodies were aware of Iranian involvement and did not prevent it.
Communications Minister Ayoob Kara called on
Israel's defense establishment to do everything in its power to prevent
such incidents, in which Iran is able to operate within Israel, from
recurring.
Maor Zemach, who heads the Lach Yerushalayim
(For You Jerusalem) advocacy group that seeks to safeguard Israeli
sovereignty in Jerusalem, called for "the reality in which foreign
countries and even enemies are involved in what transpires in Jerusalem
... to be put to an end."
Senior officials in the Palestinian security
forces admitted they were aware of Iran's involvement, but said
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' order to freeze security
cooperation with Israel prevented them from relaying the information.
"In retrospect, it may have been a mistake not to update Israel," a senior Palestinian intelligence official said.
Daniel Siryoti
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=44295
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