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    30-Oct-2014

Jerusalem holy site closure 'declaration of war' - Abbas

 

 

A spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has described the closure of a disputed Jerusalem holy site as a "declaration of war".
 
The move came amid tension and violence after the shooting of a Jewish activist. Israel's PM urged calm, saying Mr Abbas was stoking unrest.
 
Yehuda Glick, a campaigner for greater Jewish prayer rights at the Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif, was wounded.
 
Israeli police later killed a Palestinian suspected of shooting him.
 
The man, named as 32-year-old Moataz Hejazi, was shot after opening fire when police surrounded his home.
 
Rabbi Glick is a well-known US-born campaigner for the right of Jews to pray at the site, which they are currently prohibited from doing. The compound is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.
 
It is the holiest site in Judaism, and also contains the al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site in Islam.
 
In other developments
 
Sweden became the first major Western European country to officially recognise Palestine as a state - a move condemned by Israel
The UN Human Rights Committee urged Israel to halt settlement-building in the West Bank and investigate alleged violations committed by its military in Gaza since 2008
US Secretary of State John Kerry described alleged insults which a senior US official aimed at Mr Netanyahu as "disgraceful, unacceptable and damaging"
 
'Dangerous escalation'
Angry crowds gathered in Arab East Jerusalem as news spread that Hejazi had been shot.
 
In the streets near his home, police used tear gas and rubber bullets against stone-throwing youths, in clashes that continued into the afternoon.
 
There was also a small demonstration by far-right Israelis outside the only entrance to the holy site for non-Muslims. Several were arrested for attempting to enter the compound.
 
Palestinians hold the Israeli government responsible for a "dangerous act", Mr Abbas was quoted as saying by Nabil Abu Rudeina, in remarks carried by AFP news agency.
 
"The state of Palestine will take all legal measures to hold Israel accountable and to stop these ongoing attacks," the statement added.
 
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for calm and suggested Mr Abbas was responsible for the increasing tension.
 
"We're facing a wave of incitement by radical Islamic elements as well as by the Palestinian Authority chairman... who said that Jews must absolutely be prevented from going on to the Temple Mount," he said, quoted by Haaretz newspaper.
 
Mr Netanyahu added that reinforcements for the security forces would be brought into Jerusalem to keep order.
 
Some districts of East Jerusalem have seen nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces since the conflict in Gaza.
 
Last week a Jewish baby and Ecuadorian woman were killed when a Palestinian attacker drove his car into a group of pedestrians at a tram stop in Jerusalem.
 
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Micky Rosenfeld, Israeli police spokesman: ''There was an attempted assassination on a known right-wing activist''
Police say Hejazi belonged to the Islamic Jihad militant group and served time in jail in Israel before being released in 2012.
 
Police say they were fired at after surrounding a house where he was staying and they shot back, hitting the suspect.
 
Rabbi Glick has undergone surgery for gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen.
 
Israel argues that it protects freedom of worship at the site but Palestinians claim it is unilaterally taking steps to allow larger numbers of Jewish visitors.
 

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