First Qibla on fire

Research group of the research history foundation of contemporary Iran
In August 1969, during a program only 2 years after occupation of the Jerusalem city, Israel attempted to set fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque. In this plot, which was later attributed to an Australian tourist called Denis Michael Rohan, and big part of the south side of the famous Saladin's pulpit was seriously destroyed.
Israel has always been looking at Jerusalem as a threat with predominantly Islamic and religious features and knows it as action of unity among Muslims. So, from the beginning, and even before the establishment, Israeli government tried a lot for elimination of Islamic art works and this plan was called Judaization of Jerusalem.
First, by creating a foothold in the southwest corner of the Haram al-Sharif in Muslim area of Almaghar, Israel attempted to destroy the homes of Muslims and then create a place of worship near the wall, shiny, and from the first it focused the point this part of the wall of Haram al-Sharif is remains of the wall of Temple or the Temple of Solomon, and the Jews weeping besides the wall call for the return to the glory of Solomon's temple and to build it again. Therefore, the wall was called Wailing Wall in popular culture.
By occupying Quds formally in 1967, after the Six Day War of June, it was easier for the Zionists for any crime and from the time they started to dig under Haram al-Sharif to strengthen false assumptions of Solomon's Temple under Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Haram al-Sharif. Now more than 20 entry doors to the drilling tunnel below this place and even some of them are open for visitors and tourists. According to some experts, the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque are strongly loose due to the excavations and with a natural disaster earthquake it may be destroyed fast.
Islamic places and mosques in Quds holy were not also safe from Zionist aggression. Nearly 50 mosques and tombs or Islamic sites in Jerusalem have been demolished by Zionists and a synagogue or gathering place for Jews was built so far.
Demography of Jerusalem is changing by building more than 29 Jewish settlements and unfortunately also in addition to resistance of the Muslim people od Quds, Islamic countries have not done specific activity against the Zionists and this inactivity led to the arrogance of some Extremist Zionists groups that each month they make a symbolic gesture to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque by traveling to Jerusalem from all the occupied territories.
Setting fire to Al-Aqsa mosque and visit are the most important actions of the occupiers in the incidence of their Zionist intention in order to destroy this holy place and the Muslims also established an international organization on the occasion to deal with the Zionist and called it OIC and its central office was in Jeddah until the liberation of Jerusalem temporarily or on the occasion they founded the week or day of mosques, but unfortunately, this symbolic moves of the above mosques and days of celebration of mosques became an excuse to plan domestic issues of countries and other topics. It was like Al-Aqsa Mosque has never been set on fire so that the Organization of Islamic Conference was formed with all services and retinue or manage mosques' Week.
In fact, the symbolic attitude of the Muslim world with the issue, regardless of the depth of the case, suggests that the leaders of Islamic countries basically have no problem with Israel on this issue and even consider developing their relationship with it. As Imam Khomeini said:
Alliance with Israelis, who these days commit crimes and murder in the region and have started excavation in Aqsa Mosque and the foundations of the mosque- first qibla of Muslims- will be loosening, and Israel will achieve its goal.
Elsewhere, Imam warns Shah's regime for involvement in the reconstruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque after the fire and says:
They set fire to Al-Aqsa mosque; we cry to let al-Aqsa Mosque meantime in the charred condition, do not omit the shrine, but the shah regime opens an account and puts box to take money from people in the name of the building of the Aqsa Mosque to be able to use it and fill their pockets and also destroy crime hints of Israel.
Iraqi newspaper "Al-jomhurieh" in date 01/08/1348 (23/10/1969) wrote under the title of "religious authority, Ayatollah Khomeini asked not to build Al-Aqsa mosque".
Imam Ayatollah Khomeini, the religious authority, asked all Muslims to make their ranks united against the enemies; Ayatollah Khomeini said in an interview with Iraq agent: the Islamic Conference that was signed in Rabat was not serve origin of the interests of Muslims, but it helped the enemies of Islam, because the conference was trying to hide crimes of Zionism in the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is not surprising that the conference failed because some of the participants in the conference did not have honest intentions and in addition there were contradictions among the participants at the conference.
Ayatollah Khamenei said: as long as occupied Palestine is not liberated, Muslims should not rebuild al-Aqsa Mosque, they should let Zionists' crimes to be imagined in the eyes of Muslims and let it be a motor of mobility for the Liberation of Palestine.