Palestinian President Mahoud Abbas has denounced Israel’s closure of a mosque in East Jerusalem as “tantamount to a declaration of war.”
Israel shuttered the Al-Aqsa facility at the Temple Mount after Jewish activist Yehude Glick was shot Wednesday outside the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, The Independent reported.
Israel then shut down the mosque because supporters of Mr. Glick vowed to rally at the Temple Mount compound, which is the third-holiest shrine in Islam and the holiest place in Judaism.
Mr. Glick is a proponent of allowing Jewish people to pray at the mosque.
A 32-year-old Palestinian man suspected of shooting Mr. Glick was shot and killed by Israeli police Thursday, The Independent reported.
“This dangerous Israeli escalation is a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and its sacred places and on the Arab and Islamic nation,” Mr. Abbas said through his spokesman, Agence France-Presse reported. “We hold the Israeli government responsible for this dangerous escalation in Jerusalem that has reached its peak through the closure of the Al-Aqsa mosque.
“This decision is a dangerous act and a blatant challenge that will lead to more tension and instability and will create a negative and dangerous atmosphere. The state of Palestine will take all legal measures to hold Israel accountable and to stop these ongoing attacks,” Mr. Abbas said, AFP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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