Clashes at Jewish-Muslim holy site in Jerusalem

[oberliner]

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli riot police armed with stun grenades have stormed Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound and clashed with Palestinian stone throwers at the most contested religious sites in the Holy Land.

Fifteen Israeli policemen and at least 20 Palestinians were wounded in protests against nearby Israeli repair work that Arab leaders charge endangers the mosque, as explosions crackled after Muslim weekly prayers.

Some 200 police stormed the compound where they clashed with hundreds of protestors who threw stones and shouted Allah Akbar, God is Greatest, before around 150 rioters barricaded themselves in the holy Al-Aqsa mosque.

The site, venerated by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam and by Jews as the location of their ancient temple that was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, is a notorious flashpoint where violence has periodically flared.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070209/ts_afp/mideastjerusalem_070209141355

[Lurking Dem]

1. I have a question for the Israeli residents.

Why didn't Israel hire someone from the waqf to do this project with them so that they could maybe avoid the hyperbolic reaction?

[sabbat hunter]

2. why should they have to

hire someone from the waqf? this repair work isnt on the temple mount but on a stairway leading to the temple mount. it is in danger of collapsing completely.

and now we have this from Hamas "This is a great danger. We can't remain silent," said Nizar Rayan, a Hamas leader, at a celebration of a power-sharing agreement Hamas signed with the rival Fatah faction in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

"We ask God to unite the Palestinians, with their rifles and tunnels, to be able to cleanse Al-Aqsa of the ... excavations," Rayan said.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/09/jerusalem.clash.ap/index.html

so basically he is calling for riots, attacking jews.

he obviously either knows nothing of the situation or is deliberately lying about it by calling it "excavations".

additionally, over the years, the waqf have excavated under the temple mount, which has endangered the western wall and could be damaging valuable archeological findings.

[Lurking Dem]

3. They shouldn't "have to" at all.

This whole thing is ridiculous on its face.

I just wondered if the possible overreaction occurred to anybody and maybe could have been diffused before it started.

The radicals are not rational by definition. But where does one draw the line between placating radicals and public safety?

I guess that is the question here in the States as well.

I'm in search of happy mediums, I guess.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Because it would have diffused any possibility of violence and been sensible...

Both of which are things that some people appear to be allergic to when it comes to anything to do with the conflict....

A few corrections to what you said:

You claim it's merely repair work. That's incorrect. There is also excavation work being carried out to look for artifacts....

You claim any digging happening isn't happening in the Temple Mount, but a stairway leading to it. Don't you think that a stairway or ramp leading to another place of religious significance, like for example, the Vatican, would be a slightly sensitive matter? What adds even more to the sensitivity around the Temple Mount is the nonstop bickering about which religion owns which little square inch of dirt, and also the blatantly obvious political implications of Israel being seen or suspected of showing gross insensitivity to the Arab world while at the same time trying to improve relations and bring about more cooperation...

So, he wasn't lying when he called it an excavation, which is why it's always a good idea to have a bit of knowledge of a situation before labelling someone ignorant or a liar :)

It's interesting to notice that when Israel does excavations, yr very quick to defend it and claim there won't be any damage, and equally quick to claim the exact opposite when it comes to Muslims doing it...

Another thing. I've just read an article which said that Israel had previously denied requests by Muslims to do this same repair work. If that's true, then I think there's every right to be suspicious of the motives for this repair work now. Not because I think there's any intent to cause structural damage, but because it's intended to be provocative...

Digging up more hostility

Palestinians have demonstrated en masse against Israel's actions, and the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, took it seriously enough to specifically issue a statement saying that he suspected Israel was trying to directly harm the al-Aqsa compound. The destruction of Islamic holy sites constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and international law, especially the fourth Geneva convention (1949), which prohibits the destruction of civilian properties.

Israel on the other hand denies all such charges and stated that it is undertaking recovery work after the footpath was damaged by a snowstorm and an earthquake in 2004. This means the work is entirely in the interests of the compound. However, Palestinian suspicion rests on a number of factors, including the fact that they were denied by Israel the rights to repair the damage themselves and it is widely suspected that Israel's excavations beneath the al-Aqsa sanctuary have led to grave structural weaknesses which could lead to a collapse of the Mosque buildings.

In addition, Israel will not begin repairing the damage and building a new walkway leading to al-Aqsa before they have completed a "salvage excavation". This ulterior motive to recover artefacts that may or may not exist in the area is doing nothing to stem Palestinian suspicion and could lead to the eruption of a third intifada. It was Ariel Sharon's desecration of the sanctuary that led to the al-Aqsa intifada in 2000, which lasted more than five years. This showed the world that despite the long-term oppression and suffering undergone by the Palestinian people, they will still defend the al-Aqsa sanctuary, which is the holiest Islamic site in Jerusalem. One of the main reasons the world's Muslims are greatly concerned about the Palestinian cause is because of the al-Aqsa sanctuary.

Arguably at a time when critical political discussion are underway between Hamas and Fatah, and world attention diverted, there could not be a better time for the Israeli bulldozers to begin their damage. Although Palestinian protests have been taking place, they have gone almost unnoticed internationally. Even our own foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, said this week that our government would not recognise any government that does not recognise Israel. At a time when an international heritage site is being threatened, Ms Beckett has made no mention of this in favour of Israeli political rights. Interestingly, the Israeli defence minister, Amir Peretz, called on the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, for the digging to be halted immediately, which was rejected.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/rajnaara_akhtar/2007/02/_ismail_patel_the_dangerous.html

[calzone]

5. I read that too, from many sources

Thanks for pointing out the fact that this is alot more than "minor repair work" v. Crumble.

"I've just read an article which said that Israel had previously denied requests by Muslims to do this same repair work. If that's true, then I think there's every right to be suspicious of the motives for this repair work now. Not because I think there's any intent to cause structural damage, but because it's intended to be provocative..."

Agreed, and it may be another attempt to co-opt possession and control.
I've read that there's a large tunnel, a synagogue, a museum, and the desecration of ancient Muslim graves and remains going on under the Al Aqsa.
It's crazy, the place where nerves are rawest, a revered holy site and an open wound in a contentious hair-trigger atmosphere, and the Israelis do this. Simply insane.