Online campaign rallies support against Israeli plans to divide Al Aqsa

AMMAN — Amid continuous Israeli efforts to impose a temporal and spatial division of the Al Aqsa Mosque complex, an online campaign titled “Lan Yanqasem” has rallied massive support.

“Lan Yanqasem”, which is the Arabic equivalent of “it will not be divided”, was founded by a group of Palestinian activists on social media platforms. The group is on a mission to intensify Muslims’ presence at the complex and thwart continued Israeli attempts to divide Al Aqsa, according to Instagram page “Aksaprotectors”.

Temporal division refers to restrictions on Palestinian entries to Al Aqsa during specific times. Spatial division entails the division of the holy site between Muslims and Jews in terms of physical space.

The campaign has intensified among social media users following the recent announcement of a plan proposed by Knesset member Amit Halevi of the Likud Party, which aims to divide Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque complex, allocating Al Qibli Mosque and Jerusalem’s southern yards to Muslims, and automatically judaising the northern site, includes the Dome of the Rock.

On Friday, over 55,000 worshippers performed Friday prayer at Al Aqsa Mosque compound, demonstrating unity of action inside the holy site.

On Twitter, Najeh Bkeirat said in a video: “Al Aqsa will not be divided as long as there is a Muslim community that protects it.” 

The online arena and social media platforms could be transformed into an effective weapon to defend and protect Al Aqsa and Palestine, said Ghadeer Kamal on Twitter, noting that “with little concentration and cooperation we could help Al Aqsa…today what we are facing is an information war.”

Similarly, @rafatQannan tweeted: “Al Aqsa needs us all and we are all obliged to protect it…”

Social media platforms have been flooded with hashtags related to Al Aqsa. Instagram feeds have been becoming increasingly Al Aqsa Mosque-themed, and Instagram stories with videos explaining the attempts to impose temporal and spatial divisions at Al Aqsa have gone viral.