<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[US Congressional candidate believes Israel aims to destroy al-Aqsa&nbsp;Mosque]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<div id="divNewsDatetime"><a href="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/aqsa-plaza.jpg"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="41731" data-permalink="https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/us-congressional-candidate-believes-israel-aims-to-destroy-al-aqsa-mosque/aqsa-plaza-2/" data-orig-file="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/aqsa-plaza.jpg" data-orig-size="300,225" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;FinePix S1000fd&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1215126798&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;64&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0035714285714286&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="aqsa-plaza" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/aqsa-plaza.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/aqsa-plaza.jpg?w=300" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41731" title="aqsa-plaza" src="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/aqsa-plaza.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></div>
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<div>Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:28PM GMT</div>
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<div><strong>A former US congressional candidate believes that Israel&#8217;s ultimate objective in constructing new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque. </strong></div>
<p>“I have believed for a long time that Israel wants this al-Aqsa Mosque simply not to exist,” Mark Dankof told Press TV on Friday.</p>
<p>“Basically I think this [settlement expansion] is part of a systematic plan to take all of Jerusalem and to replace &#8230; the al-Aqsa Mosque with a so-called rebuilt Jewish temple based on the model of the one that was destroyed in 1870,” he added.</p>
<p>On Thursday, the Israeli regime approved the construction of 1,600 new illegal settlement units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).</p>
<p>According to Israeli officials, Tel Aviv also plans to authorize the building of another 2,700 illegal housing units in the occupied land within “a couple of days.”</p>
<p>The regime claims the construction has been endorsed because of the &#8220;economic crisis&#8221; in Israel.</p>
<p>Israelis have been protesting against rising housing prices and social inequalities since mid-July. The protesters demand a new taxation system (lower indirect taxes, higher direct taxes), free education and childcare, an end to the privatization of state-owned companies and more investment in social housing and public transport.</p>
<p>Israel occupied East al-Quds alongside the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed both territories. The international community has refused to recognize either of the moves.</p>
<p>In September 2010, the Israeli regime resumed the expansion of settlements in occupied Palestinian territories after a 10-month partial freeze, prompting the Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders to break off US-sponsored talks with Tel Aviv that had been resumed after a lengthy stalemate.</p>
<p><strong>View a 24 minute videoreport here: <a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193776.html" target="_blank">http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193776.html</a></strong></p>
<p>MSK/HGH</p>
<p><a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193776.html">Source</a></p>
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