Status: 05/04/2023 22:33
The US and UN expressed “shocked” and “concerned” after violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Rockets were fired again from the Gaza Strip.
The clashes on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have raised international concerns about a further escalation in the Middle East.
The US and the UN have expressed their shock at the violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.
“We are extremely concerned about the ongoing violence and urge all sides to prevent further escalation,” said US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Israelis and Palestinians must work together “to ease this tension,” Kirby added. Peace must be restored.
Guterres shocked by violence
According to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was “shocked and horrified” by footage of Israeli police beating Palestinians in the mosque.
The violence is particularly shocking because it comes at a time “sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims” and should be a “time of peace and non-violence”.
UN envoys condemn attack on emergency services
UN envoy Tor Wennesland said he was “horrified by the images of violence”. The beatings against Palestinians and the high number of arrests are “disturbing”. However, he condemned the use of rocks and fireworks against emergency services.
The German government also called for de-escalation. All those with influence on the situation are responsible “so that no more fuel is added to the fire”, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Israeli police officers arrest a Palestinian after clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Image: AP
Abbas Spokesperson Fears ‘Big Explosion’
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the actions of Israeli security forces. He warned against “crossing the red lines at holy sites”, as reported by Palestinian news agency Wafa. This can lead to a “big explosion”.
The radical Palestinian organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, spoke of an “unprecedented crime”. She urged Palestinians in the West Bank to “flood en masse to Al-Aqsa Mosque”.
Arab League and Türkiye condemn police action
Jordan, which runs the mosque, condemned the “invasion” and asked Israeli police to leave the site immediately. The Arab League, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey also condemned the police operation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel had crossed a “red line”.
Israeli Security Minister Praises Police
Israel’s right-wing security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, praised the police for their “quick and decisive action”. He accused those evicted from the mosque of wanting to “hurt and kill police and injure Israeli citizens”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the police had to intervene “to restore order”.
Red Crescent: 37 wounded
The clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque took place in the middle of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and just before the start of the Jewish feast of Passover. Israeli police said they entered the mosque to expel “troublemakers” who had brought “fireworks, sticks and stones” into the place of worship.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 37 people were injured in the clashes. According to information, two of them needed to be treated at the hospital.
More rockets from the Gaza Strip
The Israeli army announced that two more rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on Wednesday night. One of the rockets did not go beyond the Gaza Strip, the other hit the border area with Israel. According to eyewitnesses, the rockets were fired in the north of the Palestinian territory.