Arab Israeli leadership panel decries ‘bloody terrorist aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque’ as it calls for demonstrations across Israel; US calls for all sides to deescalate
Arab Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were expected to hold mass protests on Saturday in the wake of Friday’s clashes in Jerusalem between Palestinians and the Israel Police, in which some 200 Palestinians and 17 officers were wounded.
The Arab High Follow-Up Committee, a body that represents Arab Israelis, called for protests in Arab towns and cities across the country in response to the violence.
The Hamas terror group’s official media outlet said Gaza-based groups were calling for demonstrations near the border fence with Israel on Saturday in protest of Israeli actions in Jerusalem.
The Israeli Committee called for “support of Jerusalem and its people” in the face of “the bloody terrorist aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
It said it planned to organize delegations to Jerusalem, including to East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, which has been at the center of recent demonstrations, and to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It said that “the aggression of the terrorist occupation army this evening against thousands of worshipers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the wounding of dozens, is a dangerous indicator of what the occupation is planning in the coming days, for the city and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The Israeli army was not involved in Friday’s events.
Israeli police burst into the Al-Aqsa compound on Friday evening after Palestinians threw rocks and bottles at officers, as widespread clashes in Jerusalem spread to the holy site following prayers held there on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Footage from the scene showed pitched battles, with Palestinians throwing chairs, shoes, rocks and bottles and shooting fireworks, and police responding with stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets.
Police said 17 police officers were hurt and around half of those hospitalized, with one in moderate condition after taking a rock to the head. Meanwhile the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least 205 Palestinians were wounded in clashes throughout Jerusalem, mostly around the Temple Mount and by Damascus Gate. Eighty-eight Palestinians were hospitalized, mostly for injuries with rubber-coated steel bullets, it said.
Palestinian terror groups threatened Israel after the violence.
Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh said that Israel would “pay a price” for the clashes at the mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. The hilltop on which it sits is the holiest place in the world for Jews as the site of the two biblical temples — making it a flashpoint for nationalist sentiment and violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
“We tell [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu: don’t play with fire. This is a battle that you cannot win. Israeli arrogance and tyranny will be smashed on the stones of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Haniyeh said.
On official Palestinian Authority television, PA President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israel for what he deemed “vicious aggression” in the Al-Aqsa compound.
“We hold the Israeli occupation government absolutely responsible for what is happening in the holy city in terms of dangerous developments, vicious aggression, and what may result from it,” Abbas said.
“The ruthlessness of the settlers only increases our insistence on claiming our legitimate rights: the end of the occupation, the achievement of independence and freedom, and the establishment of our sovereign, independent Palestinian state with its eternal capital Jerusalem,” Abbas added.
Islamic Jihad, a terror group that often fires rockets from Gaza into Israeli territory, also threatened Israel over the Al-Aqsa clashes.
“What’s happening in Jerusalem tonight cannot pass idly by. The enemy can expect our response at any moment,” said Islamic Jihad chief Ziyad al-Nakhaleh.
A day after some of the worst violence in Jerusalem for years saw 200 Palestinians and 17 Israeli police officers wounded, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi announced on Saturday that troop levels would be bolstered.
The announcement came after Defense Minister Benny Gantz held an assessment of the security situation with senior officials from the military, police and Shin Bet.
“Extremists on both sides cannot be allowed to cause an escalation of the situation,” Gantz said in a statement. “Israel will continue to act to preserve freedom of worship at the Temple Mount and at the same time not allow terror to raise its head or harm public order.”
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai also held a “special” security assessment in light of the recent tensions in Jerusalem.
“I stress here that the right to protest will be preserved but rioting will be answered firmly and with zero tolerance. I call on everyone to act with responsibility and restraint,” Shabtai was quoted saying in the statement.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Arab Israelis were expected to hold mass protests on Saturday in the wake of the violence in Jerusalem on Friday night.
Saturday saw at least six fires in southern Israel caused by balloons carrying incendiary devices. There were no reports of any injuries or danger to nearby towns.
There were widespread clashes and riots in the Al-Aqsa compound following prayers held there on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Footage from the scene showed pitched battles, with Palestinians throwing chairs, shoes, rocks and bottles and shooting fireworks, and police responding with stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets.
No comments:
Post a Comment