Middle East on a knife’s edge
CLASHES: OVER ULTRA-SENSITIVE HOLY SITE
UN to hold talks regarding spiralling violence in Jerusalem
Two Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli forces on Saturday as the army moved in to seal off an attacker’s home after violence over security measures at an ultra-sensitive holy site.
The United Nations Security Council will hold closed-door talks today about the spiralling violence after Egypt, France and Sweden sought a meeting to “urgently discuss how calls for de-escalation in Jerusalem can be supported”.
The deaths followed bloodshed on Friday, when a 19-year-old Palestinian killed three Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and three Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli forces.
On Saturday, Palestinian youths hurled stones and petrol bombs as the army used a bulldozer to close off the 19-year-old attacker’s West Bank village and prepare his house for probable demolition. Israel frequently punishes the families of attackers by razing or sealing their homes as a deterrent.
Clashes also flared in east Jerusalem and other Palestinian villages in the West Bank near Jerusalem, police said, adding that anti-riot measures were used against them. At the Qalandiya crossing between the West Bank and Jerusalem, at least eight Palestinians were wounded, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency meanwhile said yesterday it had arrested 25 men active in the militant Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Also yesterday, a rocket fired at Israel from Gaza exploded midair, the Israeli army said, causing no injuries.
No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the projectile.
The violence was triggered by security measures including metal detectors at the entrance to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, ahead of the main weekly Friday prayers.
Israel imposed the measures after a gun and knife attack killed two Israeli policemen on July 14.
The Palestinians reject the measures, viewing them as Israel asserting further control over the holy site. The site in Jerusalem’s Old City that includes the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock has been a focal point for Palestinians. On Friday, clashes erupted around the Old City.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced late Friday he was freezing contact with Israel.
There was no immediate public reaction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. –