Palestinian Official Urges Islamic Summit Over Aqsa 'Division'

A Palestinian official on Monday called for holding an emergency Arab and Islamic summit to discuss Israeli plans to divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound between Jews and Muslims.



"Israel is racing against time to legitimize storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by herds of extremist settlers," Ahmed Qurei, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said in a statement.



The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage, a Palestinian NGO, has said that the Knesset was planning to discuss a draft law next month aimed at partitioning the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound between Muslims and Jews.



"The Jerusalemites will not stand hand-tied toward these aggressive Israeli schemes, which risk dragging the holy city to a cycle of violence and religious warfare," Qurei said.



He said the lack of action on the part of Arabs, Muslims and the international community encourages the Israeli government to go ahead with it violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.



In recent months, groups of extremist Jewish settlers – often accompanied by Israeli security forces – have repeatedly forced their way into East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.



The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.



For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.



Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.



In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli leader Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada" – a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.



By Qais Abu Samra



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ramallah