Palestinian protesters at Al Aqsa ‘reject all obstacles that hinder freedom of worship’
Israel promises more security measures at holy site as metal detectors are removed from entrance to mosque
Palestinians will continue their sit-in protest outside Al Aqsa compound and will not enter the mosque for prayers, after Israel removed the metal detectors at the heart of the protest but promised to replace them with more security.
Israel said the detectors were placed at the entrance to Haram Al Sharif after a deadly attack on Israeli police there on July 14, but Palestinians fear they were a step towards Israel’s takeover of the mosque, Islam’s third holiest site
“We reject all obstacles that hinder freedom of worship and we demand a return to the situation where things stood before July 14,” Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah told his cabinet yesterday.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called for a meeting of senior leaders in Ramallah last night to decide on a response to Israel’s plan to install cameras.
Mr Abbas also ordered a freeze in “all contacts” with Israel, including co-ordination on security matters with its army.
Islamic leaders held a meeting yesterday, attended by Sheikh Abdul Azim Salhab, chairman of the Islamic authority in charge of Al Aqsa, and Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, the mufti of Jerusalem.
Also there was Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the chairman of the higher Islamic Council, which has jurisdiction over Muslim religious matters in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The leaders decided that worshippers should continue refusing to attend prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque, and that the sitin protest launched 10 days ago at Lion’s Gate would continue.
“The decision of entering Al Aqsa is a decision of magnitude for the nation and its sons, and when we go to Aqsa to pray in it we will be with every Palestinian in his force,” Sheikh Hussein said.
A statement after the meeting said they had authorised Sheikh Salhab’s directorate to prepare a report on the situation at the mosque to investigate the happenings there.
The report will determine whether the faithful can return to the mosque and whether the protest will continue.
Muslims from around the world, from Kuala Lumpur to Khartoum, have held demonstrations against Israel and in support of the Palestinians outside the mosque.
Clashes erupted in East Jerusalem and the West Bank after the installation of the metal detectors on July 16. The violence killed four Palestinians and injured dozens.
On Friday night last week, a Palestinian stabbed three members of a settler family to death in their home in the West Bank.
He had written on Facebook before the attack that he planned to take action for the sake of Al Aqsa.
The Israeli security cabinet decided on Monday to remove the detectors, saying Israel would introduce other measures that used more advanced technology at Haram Al Sharif, which is also sacred to Jews.
These would be advanced technology “smart cameras” that would be able to detect concealed weapons. Again, the Israeli government did not consult with the Palestinian leadership as to what should replace the detectors.
The reversal on the metal detectors came hours after Jordan agreed to free an Israeli embassy security guard who shot dead two Jordanians in an incident where the circumstances are murky. At some point, the guard was stabbed with a screwdriver.
Jordan had initially barred the guard from returning to Israel, with officials saying they needed to question him as part of an investigation into the incident. Israel insisted he had diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention.
A standoff ensued that was resolved only when Jordan agreed to release the guard.
In a cabinet meeting yesterday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that he gained the guard’s release by promising Jordan’s King Abdullah to remove the detectors. Cabinet ministers said otherwise.
An official Jordanian source said that “deep discussions had taken place with the Israeli side regarding Al Aqsa Mosque, hinting at concessions to be made by the Israeli side including removal of metal detectors and reducing tensions at Al Aqsa”.
Several thousand Jordanians yesterday demonstrated during the funeral of one of the Jordanians shot dead in the embassy incident, urging their government to scrap the 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
Demonstrators chanted: “No to an Israeli embassy or ambassador on Jordanian land”, as they carried the coffin of Mohammad Jawawdah, 16, to his burial in the capital.
The 1994 accord, the second to be concluded with Israel by an Arab country after Egypt, is unpopular with a lot of Jordanians, many of whom are of Palestinian origin.
We demand a return to the situation where things stood before July 14