From Harris’s perspective, “Inserting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into unrelated American political discourse serves only one objective, to encourage those who are narrowly focused on assailing Israel for any shortcomings, failings by the Palestinian Authority”.
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“Roughly 130 extremist settlers – backed by Israeli police – stormed the mosque compound through the Al-Mugharbeh Gate”, Al-Aqsa Mosque director Sheikh Omar al-Qiswani told Anadolu Agency.
Palestinian medical sources confirmed that the Palestinian woman, who was killed by Israeli army fire, on Wednesday, did not carry an explosive belt as the army claimed, but was instead five months pregnant, and “her only fault was walking the wrong route and not understanding Hebrew”.
“The job of police and soldiers is to arrest a suspected attacker, and bring them into custody, so the case can be investigated”, said Bashi, who noted that her organization had not yet investigated the shootings Wednesday.
Witnesses told local media Israeli police then fired several rounds into the two Palestinians.
Both Israeli and Palestinian security personnel have started to crack down on Internet users accused of encouraging the spate of lone-wolf attacks by spreading incendiary messages on social networks.
The activists are part of an ultra-nationalist movement known as “The Loyalists of the Temple Mount”, which strives to rebuild the Jewish temples, that last of which was ruined by the Romans in 70 AD. Also some ministers and lawmakers with the coalition have been calling for lifting the ban.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the worldwide community.
It is Islam’s third holiest site and Judaism’s holiest.
Fears that Israel is attempting to change the status quo triggered violent clashes between Muslim youths and Israeli police in mid-September.
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Palestinian officials identified the woman as Maram Abu Ismail, 23, from the nearby West Bank village of Beit Surik, and her brother, Ibrahim Saleh Taha, 16.
