SHAFAQNA – The Arab League on Sunday accused Israel of “playing with fire” with new security measures at a highly sensitive al-Aqsa Mosque.
“Jerusalem al-Quds is a red line,” its chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said in a statement, adding that “no Arab or Muslim will accept violations” against the city’s holy sites.
Deadly clashes have rocked Jerusalem al-Quds since Israeli authorities installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound following an attack on July 14 that killed two policemen.
Palestinians view the measure as an Israeli attempt to assert further control over the site, the third most holy place in Islam.
Abul Gheit accused Israel’s government of “adventurism” and said its moves could trigger a “crisis with the Arab and Muslim world”.
The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population. Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.
The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.