Jerusalem: Two Israeli MPs entered Masjid Al-Aqsa after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lifted the ban which prohibited legislators from visiting the place.
Accompanied by armed force, Israeli lawmaker, Yehuda Glick who was shot in 2014 over his campaign for Jewish prayer at an ultra-sensitive Jerusalem holy site, visited there on Tuesday during a one-day break in a government ban. Another lawmaker, Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli also visited along with him.
According to the news published in Al-Jazeera, reacting on the decision of Israeli PM, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency said that Israeli government is responsible for the provocations at the compound.
It is also reported that Masud Ganaim, a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, said that decision of Israeli PM is provocative.
It may be mentioned that Netanyahu instructed police in October 2015 to bar lawmakers from visiting the site in the Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque complex and the Dome of the Rock. It was meant to help calm unrest that erupted in part over Palestinian fears that Israel was planning to assert further control over the compound.
The site is the holiest in Judaism as the location of the two ancient Jewish temples and the third-holiest in Islam after Mecca and Medina. It is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Read also: Masjid Al-Aqsa: Fresh clashes erupt between Palestinians and Israeli police
In July, Palestinians returned to pray at Masjid Al-Aqsa after Israeli authorities removed controversial security measures there which ended a nearly two-week crisis that sparked deadly unrest. Muslims had refused to enter the compound and prayed in the streets outside after Israel installed the new security measures. Palestinians viewed the move as Israel asserting further control over the compound.
Israeli authorities said the metal detectors were needed because the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the compound and emerged from it to attack the officers. During the 13 days protests, Israeli forces injured more than 1000 Palestinians during.
Netanyahu on uprooting of settlements
Meanwhile, speaking during the ceremony in the settlement of Barkan, Israeli PM said that no settlement in West Bank will be uprooted. He further said that country had returned to the land of the Jewish forefather.
However, Palestinians seek the entire West Bank for the future independent state. They also said that all the settlements are illegal.
Turkey’s stand on the issue
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged on Monday the Israeli government to end its “occupation attempts” of Palestine that threaten the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Ankara after talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan said that “establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem along the lines of 1967 is crucial for stability in the region,” Xinhua reported.
“As we witnessed during the events, rising tension is no good for either side, and a peaceful resolution to the crisis would also benefit the Israelis,” he said.
He described the two-state solution as the “historical responsibility of the international community to the Palestinian people.”
He also vowed that Ankara would continue its efforts in the recognition of Palestine in all international platforms.