Arab League says Israel ‘playing with fire’ at holy site
CAIRO: The Arab League yesterday accused Israel of ‘playing with fire’ with new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site.
“Jerusalem is a red line,” its chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said in a statement, adding that “no Arab or Muslim will accept violations” against the city’s holy sites.
Deadly clashes have rocked Jerusalem since Israeli authorities installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following on July 14 attack that killed two policemen.
Palestinians view the measure as an Israeli attempt to assert further control over the site, the third most holy place in Islam and the most revered site in Judaism.
Abul Gheit accused Israel’s government of ‘adventurism’ and said its moves could trigger a “crisis with the Arab and Muslim world”. — AFP
JERUSALEM: Israel sent extra troops into the occupied West Bank on Saturday and raided the home of the Palestinian attacker who stabbed to death three Israelis on Friday, the military said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said security forces “surveyed the house of the assailant in the village of Khobar, searched for weapons and confiscated money used for terror purposes”.
“The brother of the assailant was also apprehended,” she said, adding: “Movement out of the village will be limited to humanitarian cases only.”
In Jerusalem, Israeli police said they used riot gear to disperse dozens of Palestinians who threw stones and bottles at them. Television footage showed police throwing stun grenades and using a water cannon to break up the crowd.
This followed the bloodiest spate of Israeli-Palestinian violence for years.
Three Israelis were stabbed to death on Friday while eating dinner in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Hours earlier, three Palestinians were killed in violence prompted by Israel’s installation of metal detectors at entry points to the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem’s walled Old City.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel until it removed the metal detectors at the site, where Muslims pray at AlAqsa mosque. He gave no details, but current contacts are largely limited to security cooperation.
Israel’s security cabinet was due to convene on Sunday and is expected to discuss alternative security measures that could be used to replace the metal detectors, according to two Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. – Reuters