Israeli court opens Al-Aqsa to Jewish extremist group

Israel's high court Tuesday upheld a request by far-right Jewish activists to enter Islam's third holiest shrine, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in a move likely to spark riots in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Meanwhile, three Palestinians, including two teenagers were killed in Israeli attacks, as the army rolled into the southern Gaza Strip and shelled sites near Rafah airport. Palestinian security sources said the tanks, backed by heavy bulldozers, entered the Dahaniyya district.

The small Temple Mount Faithful group requested to visit the compound, where according to Jewish tradition Herod's Temple stood, to mark the Jewish day of mourning for its destruction in 70 BC.

In its decision, the high court said that Jewish petitioners " ... will be allowed to enter Temple Mount during visiting hours."

But despite its controversial decision, the court ordered the group's leader, Gershon Salomon, to stay clear from the area of the Temple Mount or the adjacent Western Wall.

The court also ruled that the far-right group, which counts only a few dozen members, should "not be allowed to carry placards or act in a provocative manner."

Arab Israeli MP Mohammad Barakeh said in reaction that allowing the activists to enter the compound would lead to a flare-up.

"The decision is petrol in the hands of declared pyromaniacs and could lead to further violence," he said.

A similar court decision in July 2001 sparked bloody clashes in Jerusalem in which 15 Israeli policemen and 18 Palestinians were wounded.

On the ground, meanwhile, Ahmad Abu Qaeda and Mervat Abu Sharekh, a 24-year-old woman, were killed by a shell in the Al-Nada area of the town of Beit Lahiya, they said.

Also Tuesday, a 15-year-old Palestinian girl, Sumayya Okal, died from injuries that she received from an Israeli tank shell in Jebaliya in Gaza on July 27.

Meanwhile, the deputy speaker of the Palestinian Parliament, an independent lawmaker close to Hamas, said Tuesday Israel has freed him after a month in detention.

Hassan Khreisheh was arrested along with dozens of Hamas officials and ministers following the June 25 capture of a soldier by militants from the Gaza Strip. Khreisheh told Reuters he had been freed late on Sunday.

Unlike the Hamas members, Khreisheh was not charged. "I was arrested and interrogated for incitement," Khreisheh said. "I am not Hamas. I ran as an independent, but the Hamas ministers who were with me in jail are in a difficult position ... It doesn't look like they will be released soon." - Agencies