Al Aqsa tensions rise as Israel mulls retaliation

Agencies | Jerusalem                           

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

After drawing a barrage of condemnation and concerns over new Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to Al Aqsa mosque compound, Israel took another concerning step yesterday, saying it would impose a moratorium on some construction, further infuriating Palestinians.

Israel also said it would use Palestinian funds to compensate Israeli victims in response to a Palestinian appeal at the International Court of Justice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the measures were a “response to the Palestinian Authority’s decision to wage political and legal war against the State of Israel”.

Last week, following an appeal by the Palestinians, the UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice to give an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s 55-year-old occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israel’s move also comes soon after UN Security Council members on Thursday stressed the need to maintain a status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. The decades-old status quo allows only Muslim worship at the compound, a site also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.

An Israeli official said Ben-Gvir complied with the arrangement that allows non-Muslims to visit but not pray. Israel, which collects tax money on behalf of the PA, would use 139 million shekels ($39 million) from PA funds to compensate victims of attacks and would also offset the stipends the PA pays to Palestinians who carried out attacks and their families, said Netanyahu’s office.

The moratorium on Palestinian building, it said, would be for a part of the West Bank called Area C, which is under full Israeli control. “These decisions are condemned and rejected both in relation to money and other measures they are planning,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas.