AMMAN/RAMALLAH, 26 August 2004 — Jordanian Minister of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Hlayel yesterday held the Israeli government “completely responsible” for any act of sabotage that could be carried out by Jewish extremists against Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine.
“Israel will bear full responsibility for any aggression attempt against Al-Aqsa Mosque by Jewish extremists and settlers,” Hlayel was quoted as saying by the official news agency, Petra. “Such an aggression will represent a dangerous escalation that pushes the region again into the cycle of violence,” he added.
The Jordanian minister was responding to recent warnings by Israeli ministers that the Islamic complex could be targeted by Jewish fanatics. The remarks stirred deep concerns in the Arab and Islamic worlds that the holy mosque could be the target of orchestrated Jewish plots that seek to demolish it as a prelude for building the so-called Solomon Temple in its place.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat held another set of talks with former Security Minister Mohammad Dahlan amid expectations that the Gaza strongman may soon be brought back in from the cold. The fence-mending meeting, the third of the week, took place in Arafat’s battered West Bank leadership compound in Ramallah, offices sources said.
Arafat’s national security adviser Jibril Rajoub, who has distinctly icy relations with Dahlan, was also seen arriving at the Muqataa compound but it was not known if he joined the discussions. Dahlan, who left the Cabinet when then Premier Mahmoud Abbas resigned last September, has denied claims that he was the instigator of recent large-scale protests in the Gaza Strip opposing corruption and demanding reforms.
In another development, Israeli Army has developed a pungent new weapon for driving back Palestinian protesters — the skunk bomb. The stink bomb, containing a synthetic version of the odor skunks release to deter predators, has been developed for breaking up protests and stone-throwing confrontations, Israeli security officials said in Tel Aviv yesterday.
The foul-smelling weapon was invented as part of efforts to replace rubber bullets, which have killed scores of Palestinians during a nearly four-year-old uprising. The new device, which is not yet operational, releases a cloud so pungent that according to initial tests it permeates clothes for five years, the officials said.
Palestinians said such a weapon could be particularly unpleasant for devout Muslims since they cannot pray with clothes that smell and would have to throw them away. Israel’s Army has often been accused of using excessive force in fighting the Palestinian uprising and security officials said it was trying to work with foreign and local firms to develop non-lethal measures.
