Jerusalem provocations decried

JERUSALEM/AMMAN: Arabs on Tuesday accused Israel of deliberately creating a dangerous situation in East Jerusalem, to trigger violence, justify a crackdown and tighten its grip on the disputed city.

Palestinian leaders have issued dire warnings in the past week after clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem’s Old City between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters, over attempts by Jewish religious activists to enter the site.

The compound housing the mosque is a holy place for both Muslims and Jews, and has often been a flashpoint of tension. Israeli security forces control access to the area and regularly prohibit young Muslim men from entering.

King Abdallah of Jordan condemned Israel’s “provocative measures� in East Jerusalem and called for an “immediate� move on the part of the world community to force the Jewish state to end its violations of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The king made the remarks as he presided over an emergency meeting of the country’s National Council of Policies to discuss the latest Israeli unilateral measures in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war.

“Israel is lighting matches in the hope of sparking a fire, deliberately escalating tensions in occupied East Jerusalem rather than taking steps to placate the situation,� chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement before meetings later this week with US President Barack Obama’s envoy.

“Israel is escalating tensions in order to further entrench its occupation of East Jerusalem,� Erekat said.

Israel’s Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said violence helps no one and that Israel must “isolate and stop the sources of violence� to allow life in the city to continue as normal.

“It’s not in the world’s interest, in Israel’s interest or the Palestinian interests. Quiet is in the interest of all. The provocateurs must be shown that their efforts won’t pay off,� Barkat said on Israel Radio.

About 70,000 people marched in the streets of Jerusalem on Tuesday, marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, police said.

Israeli police deployed thousands of officers on city streets for fear that two days of minor clashes with Palestinian protesters would escalate.

A police spokesman said the city remained calm despite the large crowds, with only a couple of isolated incidents in which no one was hurt or arrested.

Palestinian sources say they fear that “small brushfires� may quickly spiral out of control as they have done in the past, if the Israelis maintain a “heavy-handed� response instead of making an effort to de-escalate tensions.

The Palestinian government on Monday said it would “confront Israel� diplomatically over the rise in tension. Obama’s peace envoy George Mitchell is due back in Jerusalem this week to continue efforts to revive stalled peace talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinians believe they were the losers last month when Obama brought together Netanyahu and Abbas for a meeting on the fringes of the annual UN General Assembly, and appeared to soften his demand for a total halt to Israeli settlement building on occupied West Bank land and in East Jerusalem.

— With input from agencies