Seeking to calm tensions ahead of the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz issues a direct appeal to Muslim citizens declaring that Israel’s war in Gaza is not a war “against Islam.”
“These days, the State of Israel is in a difficult campaign that began with a murderous attack by Hamas terrorists on all Israeli citizens, including Muslims,” Gantz states in a pre-recorded message.
“Our war is not against Islam, but against those who harmed the values of Islam. Against those who committed crimes against humanity, and also sought to tear apart Israeli society and our common future.”
Declaring that Hamas wants to see Ramadan turn from a month of prayer to “a month of blood,” Gantz asserts that the Gaza-based terror group does not “represent the absolute majority of Israel’s Arab citizens.”
“October 7 proved to us, perhaps more than before, that Arab society is an integral part of the State of Israel. When we are in danger, we are all in the same danger and face it together,” he continues, pledging to maintain freedom of worship on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and calling on Israel’s Muslim community to ignore “the extremists who try to incite and harm us.”
Despite pressure from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to reduce the number of worshipers allowed to pray on the Temple Mount in the first week of Ramadan.
Gantz has previously declared that Israel would launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah if the hostages held by Hamas are not released by Ramadan and the Biden administration, which is pushing for a temporary ceasefire prior to the start of the holy fasting on Monday morning.
US President Joe Biden has expressed concern that absent a deal, Jerusalem could erupt in violence similar to that which broke out in 2021 following a series of clashes in the Old City, including on the Temple Mount.
