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JORDAN TIMES [IRMA] June 7, 2005 - OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israeli police yesterday fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian youths on the Haram Al Sharif ... . The clashes in Jerusalem ... were sparked when a dozen Israelis started a tour of the Aqsa compound. According to Israeli police, hundreds of Palestinian youths started throwing stones and rocks at the group until police entered the compound and broke up the clashes with tear gas and stun grenades. One Palestinian was arrested and two Israelis injured. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the visit of the Israeli group to Al Aqsa as an "unwarranted provocation." He said the group should not have been allowed onto the compound ... . "The Israeli government and the international community must stop these unjustified and dangerous violations that risk reaping regrettable consequences," he said ... . Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia was more outspoken ... . The stone-throwers, he said, were defending themselves from ... "horde of extremist and criminal settlers" that "attacked Al Aqsa and stormed the esplanade." Israel unilaterally annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem in the aftermath of the 1967 war and declared it the "eternal, undivided capital" of Israel. No country has recognised the annexation, illegal under international law. [IMRA: Prior presence by Jordan also lacked international acceptance.] . . . HAARETZ 7 June '05: PA's Abbas blames Israel for unrest on Temple Mount By Jonathan Lis and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents, and News Agencies QUOTES FROM TEXT: " 'The Israeli government and the international community must stop these unjustified and dangerous visitations' " " 'part of repeated attempts by Zionist settlers to assault and harm the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque' " "Police do not believe the events were planned in advance by the Palestinians" "The clashes ... came as a surprise to police, who
forecasted calm at the site" EXCERPTS: ...Chairman Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of bearing responsibility for violent clashes between police and Arab worshippers on the Temple Mount on Monday. Abbas said the Jews - who visited the site to mark Jerusalem Day - should not have been allowed into the mosque compound. "The Israeli government and the international community must stop these unjustified and dangerous violations. They are to prevent any friction with bad results," he said during a tour of a Palestinian high school in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Jordan ...denounced the violent confrontation at the Temple Mount, and urged the international community to help end "violations" against the sanctity of the Muslim holy shrine. Religious Affairs Minister Abdul-Salam al-Abadi said the police actions and the visit of Jewish visitors "represent a flagrant and an unacceptable defiance which are part of repeated attempts by Zionist settlers to assault and harm the blessed al Aqsa Mosque." Al-Abadi told the official Petra news agency that he had told workers at Al Aqsa to be "cautious and prevent the (Israeli) extremists from executing their threats which aim at harming Al Aqsa Mosque." Al-Abadi appealed to the international community to do its "utmost to end the series of violations against Al Aqsa." ...Israeli police rushed into the Temple Mount compound and faced down hundreds of stone-throwing Palestinians outside the Al Aqsa mosque on Monday as Jews visited the site on the anniversary of the capture of the Old City and East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. A police spokesman said forces moved onto the compound, ... after several hundred Palestinians threw stones at Jewish visitors near the shrine. He said two Jews were injured. In less than an hour, relative calm had been restored, with officials of the Waqf Islamic trust working to minimize tensions on the Palestinian side and Israeli police refraining from further action. The incident began when two groups entered the compound with police escorts. A first group of tourists visited the site unhindered. A group of Jews then approached the entrance to the Temple Mount. Palestinians hurled stones at the second group and the police who accompanied them. One of the Palestinians drew close to the second group, and was arrested by police who suspected that he intended to attack them. Having requested backup from forces nearby, police responded with several stun grenades toward the Palestinians throwing stones near the entrance gate to the compound, said police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby. The encounter became a standoff, as the Palestinians stood near the police, chanting slogans, but refraining from further clashes. Hundreds of young Palestinians congregated near the Al Aqsa Mosque, chanting towards policemen and Jewish visitors at the site. Police do not believe the events were planned in advance by the Palestinians. [IMRA: but as seen in this article's final paragraph, the police are not well-informed.] . . . In recent weeks, Islamic figures have warned of attempts by Jews to enter, in some instances even harm, the site. The warnings have become more amplified in the days leading up to Jerusalem Day, when Jewish far-rightists have asked to visit the site. The clashes on the Temple Mount came as a suprise to police, who forecasted calm at the site Monday. Police officials emphasize, however, that no rocks reached the Western Wall plaza. Dr. Joseph Lerner, Co-Director IMRA |
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