Thousands of Israeli police have been deployed in Jerusalem’s old city for Muslim Friday prayers amid fears Palestinian anger would erupt over a planned gathering of Jewish extremists at a holy site.
Armed wings of the main Palestinian groups warned Israelis that any extremist action around the Al-Aqsa mosque compound at the meeting in two days time would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
”We are warning the Zionists against any such stupidity…which would be seen as a declaration of war without possibility of truce or calming down,” the groups said in a joint declaration, referring to a period of ”calm” agreed with Israel.
Those signing the statement included the Al-Aqsa Brigades linked to Fatah, the main Palestinian movement, as well as to the armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Resistance Committees.
Palestinian anger was sparked by a small right-wing Jewish group called Revava, which said it intended to hold a mass prayer session on Sunday at the compound, which once housed the Jewish temple until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.
Considered the most sacred spot in Judaism, the compound is also the third holiest site in Islam.
Revava, a newly-formed group, is dedicated to rebuilding the Third Jewish Temple on the site now occupied by the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is known by the Jews as the Temple Mount.
In a statement earlier this week, the group said the aim of Sunday’s demonstration was to bring some ”10 000 Jews to the heavily restricted Temple Mount to spark Israeli dialogue about reclaiming the holy site from its Muslim custodians.”
Jewish settlers have previously also threatened to use the Al-Aqsa mosque compound as part of their protest against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw from Gaza Strip and four small settlements in the West Bank.
Palestinians have planned several protest marches in the Gaza Strip to follow Friday prayers.
Israeli police were out on patrol from early on Friday, deployed at the entrances to the Old City as well as around the disputed mosque compound.
To try to minimise the chance of unrest, police imposed an age limit on those entering the compound for Friday prayers, permitting only men over the age of 40 with a blue Jerusalem identity card to access the site.
Arab Israelis hold the same identity card to Jewish Israelis, but those living in east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, hold a special residents’ card.
Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, however, are forbidden to stay in Jerusalem or anywhere else in Israel unless they hold a special permit.
Police plan to close access to the compound to all non-Muslims on Sunday to block the demonstration, which organisers also said was a protest against Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer.
Israeli authorities fear extremists could attack the disputed mosque compound in an attempt to disrupt a controversial plan.
Earlier this week, Revava chairperson David Haivri said: ”We’re talking about our civil and religious right to have access to the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is the single holiest place in the world for Jews. It’s time the Israeli government restores control to the rightful owners — the Jewish people.”
But on Thursday, the Palestinian government warned that any attack on the compound ”would be an aggression against the Arab and Islamic nations”.
The sentiment was forcefully echoed in a separate statement by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade: ”Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque are a red line that no Zionist should be able to cross.” — Sapa-AFP