RAMALLAH, West Bank, 17 February 2007 — The Israeli police arrested more than 30 Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem yesterday as clashes erupted between Palestinians and heavily-armed Israeli police over Israel’s continued excavations at Al-Maghareba Gate on the Al-Aqsa compound during Friday prayers.
More than 3,000 Israeli police officers closed Jerusalem and the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to prevent Palestinians from entering the mosque to protest the works.
The Israeli police forcibly restricted Palestinians’ access to the city. They allowed only women and men over 50 years of age and holders of Israeli identity cards in the Old City fearing violence over excavations.
The head of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch yesterday called for an Intifada to save the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Sheikh Raed Salah gave a fiery speech in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi Al-Joz, in which he said that Israel is drenched in Arab blood and accused it of attempting to build Solomon Temple on Aqsa Mosque compound.
The Israeli Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended Salah’s restraining order by 60 days on Thursday. This means Salah cannot come within 150 meters of the Old City walls.
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, said thousands of Israeli soldiers and police have been deployed around the entrances to the Haram Ash-Sharif (Al-Aqsa Mosque compound).
Muslim worshippers are being prevented from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hussein added, however, “Despite the Israeli procedures, the worshippers are coming to Al-Aqsa Mosque and thousands of Palestinians headed to Al-Aqsa for Friday prayers.”
He said that the Israeli excavations are continuing around Al-Maghareba Gate. Al-Aqsa Mosque’s guards complained that the Israeli authorities are prohibiting anyone under the age of 50 from entering the mosque.
The Israeli police also prohibited Palestinian politician Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi from entering the mosque. Barghouthi, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and head of the Palestinian National Initiative, said in a phone call that the Israeli forces at the gates of the Haram Ash-Sharif had detained him and prevented him from entering the mosque’s courtyard.
Adnan Al-Husseini, director of the Waqf religious trust, said 2,500 worshippers attended the prayers although police put the number at 6,000. Normally tens of thousands attend.
Palestinians and Muslims all over the world have condemned nearby Israeli archaeological excavations and repair work, since stalled, which they claim endanger the foundations of Islam’s third holiest site.
“The Israeli work poses great danger to our mosque and we demand a complete halt because it heralds destruction and death,” said Yussef Abu Sneineh, the imam of the mosque. “No one with any sense plays with fire,” he added from the pulpit, taking a stab at the Israeli authorities.
Accusing police of transforming the revered compound into a “battleground” last Friday, when Palestinian stone-throwers clashed with the riot squad, he urged worshippers to go quietly this week to avoid further troubles. However, clashes broke out after the prayers with Israeli police using stun grenades and water cannons to disperse protesters, witnesses said. — Additional input from agencies
