Al-Aqsa Mosque back in the eye of the storm with renewed clashes, arrests
Various minor infractions have once again increased tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Palestinians complain that restoration work has been disrupted and Israeli visitors have exceeded agreed-upon limits.
Tensions between Palestinian worshippers and Israelis at Al-Aqsa Mosque have been growing again. Following several incidents, Jordan’s King Abdullah told the Jordanian newspaper Ad-Dustour on Aug. 15, “We will persist in undertaking our religious and historical responsibilities toward Al-Aqsa Mosque/Haram al-Sharif, which faces repeated violations by extremist groups.”
There has been no direct response from the Israeli Prime Ministry, which is directly handling this sensitive issue, to the words “extremists” and “violations.” However, some Israeli government and nongovernment officials did respond to the king’s statement. One of the more negative responses came from a lower-level government official. Zeev Elkin, the Jerusalem Affairs Minister, described the king’s words as “lip service” aimed at appeasing Jordanians. Avi Dichter, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Aug. 15, “Israel will not accept [that] Mecca and Medina rules apply on the Temple Mount,” a reference to only Muslims being allowed to visit Mecca.
Egypt’s Al-Azhar also strongly condemned Israeli soldiers' recurrent storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. In an official statement issued Aug. 14, Al-Azhar called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take serious measures to stop such "barbaric attacks and flagrant violations" at the complex, which is considered Islam's third-holiest site.
On Aug. 4, Israeli police arrested Palestinian engineer Bassam Halaq along with five other workers when Israel suspended the restoration work they were engaged in at Al-Aqsa. They were released later that day. On July 27, at least one guard with the Jordanian Waqf Ministry, which administers Al-Aqsa Mosque, was arrested after trying to stop a group from walking around the area. The group included Israeli officials from the Ministry of Antiquities.
