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| Clashes at Jerusalem Al-Aqsa Mosque (Image: Daily Star) |
AFP, CAIRO: Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday urged Israel to take swift measures
to calm tensions around Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque after clashes this week
between Israeli security forces and Palestinians.
“It is without
doubt a dangerous violation of Islamic holy places,” Sisi said at a press
conference with EU president Donald Tusk, urging Israel to take “immediate and
effective steps” to defuse tensions.
“The
international community must realize the attachment of all Muslims to this
place,” he said, warning that the unrest could have “grave consequences for
peace and stability”.
The mosque,
located at the site of what Jews venerate as the Temple Mount, is in east
Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.
The mosque
compound is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most sacred site in
Judaism.
Under
longstanding regulations, Jews are allowed to visit but cannot pray there to
avoid provoking tensions.
Palestinians
fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, with far-right Jewish
groups pushing for more access and even efforts by fringe organizations to
erect a new temple.
Egypt shares a
long border with Israel, and in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a
peace treaty with it after four wars with the Jewish state.
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