According to Palestinian sources quoted by Arab Newsthe Israeli security forces transformed the esplanade of the Mosques into “military encampment, bursting into it at dawn on Sunday and emptying it of its faithful” Muslims. The police have “closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and blocked its access, while trying to secure the entry of Jewish visitors to the sacred site”adds the Saudi daily.
The Israeli police assured for their part that they were “entered the site as young Arabs began picking up stones and blocking access” to the Jews who were trying to enter the esplanade, reports the Jerusalem Post. Clashes between Palestinians and security forces left 19 injured, according to the Red Crescent.
After an inter-ministerial meeting during the day, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett gave “flames” to the security forces to “continue to act against the rioters who try to disturb public order”specifies the Israeli site.
The esplanade of the Mosques, the third holiest site in Islam and the first holiest site in Judaism, had already experienced violent clashes on Friday, which left more than 150 injured on the Palestinian side. Tensions are all the more acute there this year as “Jewish Passover, Ramadan and Christian Passover coincide exceptionally, attracting thousands of worshipers of the three religions to the Old City of Jerusalem”notice the Daily Telegraph.
This new wave of violence “also threatens the fragile ruling coalition in Israel, which for the first time includes an independent Arab Israeli party”raise it Wall Street Journal.
“Symbolic Announcement”
In fact, after several days of hesitation and appeals for calm, the leader of the Raam party finally announced on Sunday that he was suspending his support for the coalition, even threatening to leave it, if the government continued to apply “its arbitrary measures” on the esplanade of the Mosques.
Naftali Bennett’s coalition already no longer has a majority in the Knessett – where it has only 60 out of 120 MPs – and a defection from Raam, “who had agreed to join the coalition on the condition that it agree to cooperate with the Palestinians on several key issues, would have devastating consequences for the current government”explains the Middle East Eye.
More Ha’Aretzrelying on government sources, judges the announcement of the Arab party “purely symbolic”. The decision was reportedly taken in agreement with the other leaders of the coalition and was simply aimed at “take the pressure off” within the party, without threatening the integrity of the coalition. According to the same sources, “the Islamist party would stay out of the coalition for about two weeks, until the end of Ramadan”before announcing “his return to government”.
Sunday’s clashes drew sharp criticism from the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and many Arab countries, including Jordan, which administers the Mosque compound. “Israel bears full responsibility for the consequences of the current escalation, which thwarts efforts to restore calm”said the Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, quoted by the Times of Israel.