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Statement by the ANSWER Coalition – Act Now to Stop War & End Racism In response to the mobilization of tens of thousands of Palestinians to defend the right to live in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem and worship at the Al-Aqsa mosque, Israel has unleashed murderous actions all across occupied Palestine. Al-Aqsa is an iconic national symbol of the Palestinian people and one of the holiest sites in Islam, and has been repeatedly targeted by Zionist extremists who want to take it over. The Israeli government has indicated that it is prepared for a drawn out military campaign against the Palestinian people. On May 10, a horrifically violent and desecrating attack on Al-Aqsa left more than 400 Palestinians wounded, with 250 suffering injuries serious enough to require hospital treatment. Israeli police fired huge quantities of plastic-covered steel bullets, tear gas and other munitions indiscriminately into crowds for protestors, including flash-bang grenades launched into the mosque itself. In response, Palestinian forces fired hundreds of rocket into Israel from Gaza. In the latest escalation, Israel launched hundreds of air strikes on the Gaza Strip that have so far killed over 30 people, many of them children. Two million people are trapped in Gaza by the Israeli occupation and have no anti-aircraft defenses.