Monday
Sep282009
Middle East Inside Line: Israel-Palestine Clashes at the Start of Yom Kippur
Monday, September 28, 2009 at 6:14
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Hours before the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli policemen. The clash, which broke out after15 religious Jews tried to enter the complex known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), injured 17 policemen and 13 protestors; 11 demonstrators were arrested.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzYvHPfUr4[/youtube]
Jewish visitors need permission from Israeli police to visit this part of the site, and Palestinians were reportedly on alert Sunday for a "provocation" by Jewish prayers. Therefore, after policemen arrived amidst loud protests over the Jewish group's presence, Palestinians started throwing stones .
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klY5g8V-9_s&feature=related[/youtube]
There is a wider context for the confrontation.. The incident occcurred just after the Israeli military's decision to "close" the West Bank until the end of Yom Kippur due to security concerns. Criticism of the Israeli actions is coming in the wake of the inconclusive meeting between President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in New York.
On Sunday evening, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat blamed Israeli officials for sabotaging the peace process and warned them not to repeat the provocation of Ariel Sharon's 2000 visit which gave birth to the Second Intifada. He said:
Hamas called the clash a "Zionist crime", and Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesperson, reportedly called for Palestinians to rise up against Israel.
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
Hours before the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli policemen. The clash, which broke out after15 religious Jews tried to enter the complex known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), injured 17 policemen and 13 protestors; 11 demonstrators were arrested.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzYvHPfUr4[/youtube]
Jewish visitors need permission from Israeli police to visit this part of the site, and Palestinians were reportedly on alert Sunday for a "provocation" by Jewish prayers. Therefore, after policemen arrived amidst loud protests over the Jewish group's presence, Palestinians started throwing stones .
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klY5g8V-9_s&feature=related[/youtube]
There is a wider context for the confrontation.. The incident occcurred just after the Israeli military's decision to "close" the West Bank until the end of Yom Kippur due to security concerns. Criticism of the Israeli actions is coming in the wake of the inconclusive meeting between President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in New York.
On Sunday evening, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat blamed Israeli officials for sabotaging the peace process and warned them not to repeat the provocation of Ariel Sharon's 2000 visit which gave birth to the Second Intifada. He said:
At a time when [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama is trying to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, and to get negotiations back on track, Israel is deliberately escalating tensions in Jerusalem... We've seen this before, and we know what the consequences are.
Providing a police escort for settlers who are against peace at all costs, and whose presence is deliberately designed to provoke a reaction, are not the actions of someone who is committed to peace, but of someone who will go to extraordinary lengths to scuttle all hopes of peace.
Hamas called the clash a "Zionist crime", and Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesperson, reportedly called for Palestinians to rise up against Israel.