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Last update - 05:52 05/10/2009
PA waging diplomatic war over Temple Mount
By Barak Ravid and Liel Kyzer
Tags: Israel News, Palestinians 

The Palestinian Authority has been waging a diplomatic campaign against Israel for the past two weeks over what it terms "provocations" on the Temple Mount.

At a closed briefing for foreign ambassadors last Tuesday, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad warned that the situation on the mount could quickly deteriorate into a "loss of control" by the PA and asked them to submit official protests to Israel over its "provocations" there, a senior Israeli government official said.

That prompted Sweden, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency, to ask Jerusalem to work to calm the situation during this week's Jewish holidays.
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While the PA has always conducted intensive diplomatic activity with regard to Jerusalem, it has previously focused on issues such as Israeli construction in East Jerusalem or the eviction of Palestinian families from homes in the city's Arab neighborhoods. But following the clashes on the Temple Mount last Sunday, the eve of Yom Kippur, it began warning the international community about the possibility of a conflagration there.

According to reports that have reached Israel about Fayyad's meeting with the ambassadors, the PA prime minister described last Sunday's clashes as "an assault by extremist religious settlers on the Temple Mount compound" and said it was "a provocation planned in advance that was aimed at sabotaging the peace process and derailing [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama's peace initiative."

Warning that the situation on the mount was flammable and could swiftly deteriorate, he added, "I remind you that this is where the Al-Aqsa Intifada began, after [Ariel] Sharon's visit" to the mount in September 2000. "The Palestinians' popular response stems from the Israeli aggression, and we are liable to lose control over events."

He therefore urged the ambassadors to protest to Israel and "demand a change in its behavior" on the mount.

Fayyad's description of last Sunday's events bears no resemblance to Israel's version. According to senior Israeli officials, members of a right-wing Jewish organization did indeed declare their intent to ascend the mount on the morning of September 27, but police prevented them from even entering the Temple Mount compound.

Shortly thereafter, however, a group of French tourists - most of them Christians - came to the mount for a previously arranged tour, and hundreds of Palestinian worshipers, who had apparently been awaiting the right-wing activists, began hurling stones at them. Police responded with tear gas, and in the ensuing clashes, 30 people were wounded - half of them policemen and half Palestinians.

Nevertheless, Fayyad's plea drew a swift response from the United States and many EU countries, all of which demanded explanations of last Sunday's events from Israeli officials.

The United States was satisfied by Israel's explanation and dropped the matter. However, several European countries - headed by Sweden, whose relationship with Israel has also been deteriorating - sent worried messages demanding that Israel work to calm the situation.

The tensions reached a peak last Tuesday, when the Palestinians told several foreign embassies that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intended to accompany right-wing activists to the East Jerusalem village of Silwan to dedicate a new tunnel.

In fact, Netanyahu was merely planning to treat his senior aides to dinner at a nearby restaurant - an event that was ultimately canceled due to a heavy work load. Nevertheless, both American officials in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Israel contacted the Prime Minister's Office to demand explanations for the alleged tunnel dedication, while senior officials in Sweden's Foreign Ministry demanded similar explanations of Israel's ambassador in Stockholm.

Possible new clashes

Police are now preparing for a possible new round of clashes today, when tens of thousands of Jewish worshipers are expected to come to the Western Wall to hear the traditional priestly blessing.

There were several violent incidents in the Old City Sunday, after the Islamic Movement urged Arab demonstrators to come to the Temple Mount to "defend Al-Aqsa [Mosque]."

In one incident, at about 10 A.M., Arabs from northern Israel and East Jerusalem began throwing stones and bottles at police on Motta Gur St., near the Old City's Lions Gate. Two policemen were lightly wounded and five demonstrators were arrested.

Yesterday afternoon, Arabs threw stones and Molotov cocktails at a Border Police roadblock near the Shuafat refugee camp. The incident produced no casualties.

Also yesterday, police arrested the deputy head of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Kamel Khatib, and Hatem Abdel Qader, who is in charge of Jerusalem for the PA's ruling Fatah party, on suspicion of incitement to violence.

A court released them on bail on condition that they stay out of the Old City for 15 days.

This morning, police plan to restrict entry to the Temple Mount to Muslim worshipers aged 50 or older - a move that has in the past proven effective in preventing clashes on the mount. It will also bar Jews and tourists from entering the mount, to forestall friction with Muslim worshipers.

Thousands of policemen and border policemen will be stationed in the Old City and throughout both East and West Jerusalem to protect the tens of thousands of visitors who are expected to flock there today.

Related articles:
  • Who is really to blame for the tensions on the Temple Mount?
  • Why I will visit the Temple Mount on Tisha B'Av
  • PA minister: Hand Temple Mount over to global Islamic group
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      1.   why am i worried? 03:37  |  Timothy 05/10/09
      2.   Attempts to kill Jews w rocks?Holy Arab site? My foot!!!!!!!!!!! 03:47  |  johnyboy, esther etc 05/10/09
      3.   down again with Sharon`s Syndrome 03:53  |  Jim 05/10/09
      4.   A new funny story 04:21  |  K,K, & K 05/10/09
      5.   THE ARABS THROW THE STONES.... 04:24  |  Brant 05/10/09
      6.   They would always rather wage war than peace! 04:42  |  Israeli 05/10/09
      7.   Holding PA Responsible with No Authority 04:50  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/10/09
      8.   How about shutting it down completely 05:06  |  Han Mercer 05/10/09
      9.   How about shutting it down completely 05:06  |  Han Mercer 05/10/09
      10.   Are these the same people 05:22  |  utagawa 05/10/09
      11.   What gave the Muslims domination 05:27  |  utagawa 05/10/09
      12.   Israeli "provocations"? Really? Having non-Jewish tourists from 05:55  |  Galit from Nahariah 05/10/09
      13.   Curious what did the PA do to jewish temples in Gaza 06:26  |  Shepherd 05/10/09
      14.   Temple Mount 06:27  |  Dudka 05/10/09
      15.   #12 Utagawa - The Answer is 06:48  |  *BEN JABO 05/10/09
      16.   Re 13, Galit 06:54  |  Apa 05/10/09
      17.   Re 6: Brant 06:58  |  Apa 05/10/09
      18.   Har ha-Bait (temple mount) has been the heart of Jewish 07:15  |  Eitan 05/10/09
      19.   Dudka is sadly mistaken..temple mount is muslim 07:32  |  and 05/10/09
      20.   Muslims and Leftists are a disease that must be eradicated! 08:41  |  James 05/10/09
      21.   Jewish history in Jerusalem is a fabrication 08:53  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 05/10/09
      22.   5. Brant, I feel sorry for you... 09:25  |  Dutch 05/10/09
      23.   Time to evict the squatters! 09:25  |  Edward 05/10/09
      24.   How dare they 09:36  |  Oren 05/10/09
      25.   End Arab occupation of Jerusalem 09:39  |  Baruch Gold 05/10/09
      26.   yeah, another intifada: it worked out SO well for them before 09:39  |  mark 05/10/09
      27.   PA has no respect for jewish holyplace 09:49  |  rafiq 05/10/09
      28.   A contrived crisis 10:14  |  JS 05/10/09
      29.   Why rarely video?, Iranians had videos all over internet daily 10:32  |  Bloodyscot 05/10/09
      30.   Mark, you know nothing #7f 11:17  |  FOX 05/10/09
      31.   r u cummings to the conclusion? put pal leaders on trial 11:23  |  Joe Sittizen 05/10/09
      32.   The Mount has never been in danger 12:13  |  JO 05/10/09
      33.   The Jews and Muslims are a cursed people 15:57  |  Christian Soldier 05/10/09
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      35.   only respectful solution for the temple mount.. 16:22  |  ben 05/10/09
      36.   Jerusalem`s Indigenous Arabs have a right to worship in peace! 16:56  |  Josh 05/10/09
      37.   Josh`s lack of geography 17:49  |  utagawa 05/10/09
      38.   Josh, profound 18:03  |  FOX 05/10/09
      39.   Fuey 20:11  |  Gary 05/10/09
      40.   Political....Dont think so 20:28  |  Salem 05/10/09
      41.   Bibi and his tunnels 20:41  |  David 05/10/09
      42.   #21 Read that & understand why there is no peace 21:47  |  Alan-NYC 05/10/09
      43.   How much longer must we endure the arab 22:36  |  yeiel 05/10/09
      44.   Arab boohoo 23:14  |  Good 05/10/09
      45.   Diplomatic war v. arrogant exploitation of vulnerability 23:28  |  sh 05/10/09
      46.   A Third Solution 23:32  |  John Q. Public 05/10/09
      47.   read article 00:34  |  tobia 06/10/09
      48.   #35 According to you, every Palestinian is from Saudi Arabia. 00:41  |  dumb & 06/10/09
      49.   FIRAS "Jerusalem is as Arab"Not "Palestinian"?? 01:08  |  PETER SM 06/10/09
      50.   #34 Josh; When you have the chance 01:58  |  Murray of Montreal 06/10/09
      51.   Land Rights 02:20  |  Carole 06/10/09
      52.   #35 Utagawa`s Silly Semantics 02:38  |  Josh 06/10/09
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      54.   Wheelbarrows of rocks on the Temple Mount? 04:00  |  Lynn 06/10/09
      55.   i have a very simple question to all of you 04:26  |  chaim 06/10/09
      56.   30 FOX Educate US - 3rd Try 04:48  |  Mark of Lewiston 06/10/09
      57.   I agree with you K,K, & K #4! 07:53  |  S 06/10/09
      58.   Israel is playing with fire in East Jerusalem... 08:36  |  Esther 06/10/09
      59.   Yeiel, strange comment coming from a religious Jew 08:37  |  Mike McKenna 06/10/09
      60.   JO #32 08:47  |  Esther 06/10/09
      61.   #58 Esther - TA 18:48  |  *BEN JABO 07/10/09
      62.   Christian Soldier 07:32  |  David 09/10/09
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