UN Security Council urges calm, restraint at Al-Aqsa

Speaking to PA officials in Ramallah on Wednesday night, Abu Mazen stated “al-Aqsa is ours”, adding “they do not have any right to desecrate it with their filthy feet and we will not permit this”, possibly referring to police entering to stop riots and attacks against them by Arab youths from inside the mosque.

In a unanimous declaration, the 15-member panel also expressed its “grave concern” and called for maintaining the rules governing the sensitive site seen as holy by both Muslims and Jews.

However, council members fell short of denouncing the incursion into the holy compound by Israeli regime forces. The brutal assault against Palestinians started on Sunday following the deployment of Israeli soldiers to the area for the Jewish Rosh Hashanah New Year holiday.

The UN Security Council appealed for calm and restraint on Thursday after three days of clashes this week at occupied Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque compound between Israeli troops and protesters.

Israel’s latest aggression has drawn widespread global criticism and condemnation.

On Thursday, Saudi King Salman spoke by phone with US President Barack Obama on a series of regional issues including the recent violence in Jerusalem, urging him to stop “Israeli attacks” at the site and back United Nations action to halt the violence.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah also warned the worldwide community that Israeli escalations in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) threatened to ignite conflict throughout the entire region.

The Kingdom reiterated its absolute rejection of the Israeli occupation and its policy of time-based-division of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Izzat al-Rishq, a leading member of the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, has described the storming of the mosque compound as a “war crime”.

Meanwhile, Hollande expressed concern by France regarding the developments in Jerusalem.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor castigated the Security Council statement for its omission of Palestinian violence at the flashpoint site.

“Unlike the Palestinian side’s incitement, Israel is taking pains to preserve the status quo”, Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.

There were at least four arrests, while clashes also broke out in the Old City surrounding the compound.

The compound is the holiest site in Judaism, which venerates it as the Temple Mount, and the third-holiest site in Islam.