The Arab League on Wednesday strongly condemned an Israeli police raid on Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, saying it put regional stability at risk.
In a statement issued after an emergency meeting on the incident, the League condemned what it called “crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against defenceless Muslim worshippers” in the mosque. The pre-dawn raid risked “igniting a spiral of violence that threatens security and stability in the region and the world”, it added.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit had earlier condemned the raid in a separate statement. “The extremist approaches that control the policy of the Israeli government will lead to widespread confrontations with the Palestinians if they are not put to an end,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed the situation had been caused by “extremists” who barricaded themselves inside the mosque with weapons, stones and fireworks.
Meanwhile, Israeli police entered Al-Aqsa Mosque a second time on Wednesday, witnesses said, hours after the arrest and removal of more than 350 people in a police raid at the compound and despite a US appeal to ease tensions.
In the second instance, late at night, police entered the compound and tried to evacuate worshippers, using stun grenades and firing rubber bullets, said staff of the Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed organisation managing the complex.
Worshippers threw objects at police, witnesses said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said six people were injured. In a statement, police claimed dozens of youngsters brought rocks and firecrackers into the mosque and had tried to barricade themselves inside. The Waqf, however, said police entered the mosque before prayers were over.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said: “Israel’s raid into Al-Aqsa mosque, its assault on worshippers, is a slap to recent US efforts which tried to create calm and stability during the month of Ramazan.”
Less than 24 hours earlier, police raided the mosque to try to remove what they claimed were masked agitators who locked themselves inside after attempts to remove them by dialogue failed.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians were injured in the earlier incident, including from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings. Israeli police said two officers were injured.
The Waqf described the police actions as a “flagrant assault on the identity and the function of the mosque as a place of worship for Muslims alone”.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby voiced concern about the violence at the mosque and said it was imperative that Israelis and Palestinians de-escalate tensions.— AGENCIES
