A United Nations envoy has warned that clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) could trigger violence elsewhere in the Middle East.
Almanar news reports that UN coordinator Nickolay Mladenov delivered the warning to the Security Council on the third straight day of violence at Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.
“As the Middle East faces a vicious tide of terror and extremism, such serious provocations have the potential to ignite violence well beyond the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem,” Mladenov said.
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The site of the mosque is the third-holiest in Islam but also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount.
The envoy called for restraint and said it was “imperative that the historic status quo is preserved,” allowing access to Jews to visit, but not pray, at the site.
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, described the situation as “extremely dangerous” and accused “extremists on the Israeli side” of seeking to “impose a Jewish presence” at the site.
Mansour warned that such a move would lead to a religious confrontation that would have “ramifications in all corners of the Middle East and beyond.”
Meanwhile the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has blasted the latest Israeli aggression against Palestinian worshipers saying the Tel Aviv regime is instigating “violence and insecurity”.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said that Israel is playing with fire
According to Press TV: The senior PLO official went on to say that Israel’s aggression against the Palestinians, especially during the Jewish New Year holidays and ahead of the Muslim Eid al-Adha on September 23-24, is provoking the entire Muslim world.
The al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, together with its surrounding compound in the Israeli-occupied Old City of al-Quds is a flashpoint. The site is revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount.
Ashrawi said that Israeli authorities are trying to forcibly take control of the site “in preparation for the total annexation and transformation of al-Haram al-Sharif,” referring to the mosque compound by its Arabic name.
The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of al-Quds over the past decades by constructing illegal settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.
She further called on the international community, including Muslim countries, “to intervene immediately before Israel succeeds in launching a global holy war.”
On Monday, more than 200 Israeli soldiers stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque, firing rubber bullets and tear gas at Palestinians. A number of Palestinians were wounded in the attack.
The brutal attack came a day after similar clashes broke out at the site following the deployment of Israeli soldiers to the area for the Jewish Rosh Hashanah New Year holiday.
There has been international condemnation against Israel’s aggression against the holy site.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has warned Israel against further violence at the al-Aqsa compound, saying that further provocation in Jerusalem would affect the relationship between Jordan and Israel.
“Jordan will not have a choice but to take actions, unfortunately,” he said.
The ministerial councils of the Arab League also warned Tel Aviv against possible repercussions for its actions, in a statement on Sunday
Niamh Harris
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