UN leaders to meet on Al-Aqsa Mosque tension
Philippine lawmakers on Saturday voted to extend martial law on the southern island of Mindanao until the end of the year, giving President Rodrigo Duterte extra time to quell a rebellion by militants allied with the Islamic State group. A total of 261 legislators agreed to extend military rule in a seven hour-long joint special session of the House of Representatives and the Senate, accounting for more than two-thirds of Congress membership of more than 300. jamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the attack.
Ramallah-based political analyst Mohammad Daraghmeh told Xinhua that he believes that tensions may continue for a while.
“The people are united, and they feel their identity is threatened by the accumulating Israeli measures and interventions in Al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Daraghmeh.
The Arab League repeatedly condemned the Israeli practices at Al-Aqsa Mosque as a blatant breach of the right of worship and violation of relevant international laws and UN resolutions.
The recent Israeli measures intensified the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that has lasted for decades.
Israel is criticized by the international community for the stalled peace process because of its settlement expansion policy.
The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city in light of the UN-proposed two-state solution.