US Embassy Jerusalem Move 'Assault' On Muslims?
Jerusalem's
Grand Mufti on Friday branded plans by President-elect Donald Trump to
move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem an "assault" on
Muslims across the globe.
"The
pledge to move the embassy is not just an assault against Palestinians
but against Arabs and Muslims, who will not remain silent," Muhammad
Hussein said in a sermon at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City.
On
Tuesday, Palestinian leaders called for Friday prayers at mosques
across the Middle East this week to protest Trump's campaign pledge.
There
have been warnings that the move would constitute recognising Jerusalem
as Israel's capital and could inflame tensions in the Middle East and
possibly sink what remains of peace efforts.
"The
transfer of the embassy violates international charters and norms which
recognise Jerusalem as an occupied city," Hussein said in his sermon,
avoiding mentioning Trump by name.
The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.The city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.
Mohammad
Shtayyeh, a senior Palestinian official and Fatah central committee
member, said on Tuesday that the Palestinian leadership had been
informed by diplomatic contacts that Trump could call for the move in
his inauguration speech on January 20.
The
Palestinians have added the issue to the agenda of a meeting of foreign
ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on January 19 in
Malaysia, he added.
Source: AFP, Agensi
ISRAEL LIMITS MUSLIM WORSHIPPERS IN JERUSALEM
In a move to prevent violence during the holy month of Ramadan, the Israel authorities plans to deploy thousands of police in Jerusalem and restrict access to Islam’s holiest site in the city on Friday.
Source: Khaleej Times Online
- Sheik Mohammed Hussein, a top Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, charged that the restrictions were part of an attempt by Israel to make Jerusalem Jewish and are “meant to limit the Palestinian and Islamic presence in Jerusalem.”
- The stern security measures grew out of previous years, when Friday Ramadan prayers at Al Aqsa turned into riots against Israel. Friday is the Muslim day of worship and is marked by large communal prayers. This Friday is the first of Ramadan this year.
- The restrictions will not apply to Palestinians who live in east Jerusalem, who hold Israeli residency rights, or Muslim citizens of Israel, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
- The huge plaza in front of the silver-domed Al Aqsa Mosque, also home to the golden-topped Dome of the Rock shrine, has room for as many as 300,000 worshippers. In recent years, because of Israeli security restrictions, fewer have attended the Ramadan services on Friday.
- The Muslim shrines were built atop the ruins of the biblical Jewish temples, making the walled hilltop one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven from the site. Both sides claim sovereignty there.
SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL IF THWARTS PEACE
The Netherlands must impose economic sanctions against Israel if the new government in Jerusalem thwarts the peace process with the Palestinians, the Dutch Labor party said last week.Members of Labor, which is a member of government as the country's second largest party, said they intended to write a manifesto on the matter to the foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, from the centrist ruling CDA party, who is largely seen as a staunch supporter of Israel.
In an interview for Radio 1, Labor's
Martijn van Dam said his party insisted that Verhagen and the European Union take "concrete" action that demands Israel accept Hamas as a partner for dialog. Van Dam also lamented the Netherlands and the European Union's decision to blacklist Hamas.Van Dam went on to call Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman "an extremist who is on the brink of racism," adding: "This is not a government with much prospect for peace."
Responding to calming statements attributed to Verhagen concerning Benjamin Netanyahu's new government, van
Dam said: "The only one who thinks that the positions of the new Israeli government will not have any consequences is Maxim Verhagen."Discussions on the matter between the cabinet and Labor's representatives in parliament are expected to continue this week.
Courtesy: HAARETZ. COM
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