TEMPO.CO, Jerusalem - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will be taking the necessary legal measures, at the international level, regarding the aggression of settlers on the Al-Aqsa mosque. He claimed that Israel deliberately tried to provoke violence in the area.
"We will not allow settlers [Israel] to attack the mosque [Al-Aqsa]," said Abbas as reported by Russia Today on Sunday, October 19, 2014.
"The Palestinian leadership will be taking the necessary legal measures, at the international level, regarding the aggression of settlers on the Al-Aqsa mosque," Abbas said in a speech to the Revolutionary Council of his Fatah party, as quoted by AFP.
Abbas' statements follow comments made by Hamas chief Khaled Meshaalin, which urged Muslims to "defend" the holy mosque.
Palestinians and Israeli police have been in conflict for over one week in the area of Al-Aqsa. The incident was triggered after Israel restricted access to Palestinians below 50 years old from entering the mosque, while at the same time they allowed access to Israeli Jews to enter the location.
Abbas said that the presence of Jews desecrates the site, pledging to ban settlers from entering the Al-Aqsa compound by any means. "It is our sacred place, Al-Aqsa [mosque] is ours, the Noble Sanctuary [as Muslims refer to the Temple Mount] is ours. They have no right to go there and desecrate it," Israel Radio quoted Abbas.
The Al-Aqsa site is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque are located at Temple Mount. It is considered to be Judaism's holiest site, as it is where the ruins of the two temples of Jerusalem are located.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded to Abbas, saying the Palestinian leader was trying to inflame the situation by using the most sensitive place, the Temple Mount.
RT | JPOST | RAJU FEBRIAN
