Muslims continue protests over work at holy site
Pastor Dale Morgan
Muslims continue protests over work at holy site*
POSTED: 0305 GMT (1105 HKT), February 10, 2007
Story Highlights
• Police used tear gas to disperse thousands of rioters Friday
• Saturday protests are smaller, more sporadic
• Unrest stems from Israeli construction on ramp leading to holy site
• Police gear up for construction to restart Sunday
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Sporadic Palestinian protests, including a
rock-throwing attack on a busload of Canadian tourists, broke out in
Jerusalem and the West Bank Saturday over Israel's construction of a
ramp leading to a disputed holy site.
The demonstrations came the day after Israeli police raided the mosque
compound, firing tear gas and stun grenades, in response to riots by
Muslim worshippers. Protests have spread throughout the world as Muslim
leaders accused Israel of trying to damage the Islamic shrines.
Israel denies the repair work will come anywhere near the disputed holy
site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple
Mount. (Watch as rocks fly during clashes Video)
In Jerusalem, a few dozen Palestinian teenagers threw stones at Israeli
security forces in and around the walled Old City, burning an Israeli
flag at one point. At the Mount of Olives holy site, Palestinians pelted
a Canadian tour bus, but no one was injured.
"We were just driving and all of a sudden a bunch of kids started
picking up rocks and whatever they could get their hands on and started
throwing it at the bus," said Dave Wood, one of the tourists. "This is
our first day in the Holy City and it was quite disturbing to say the
least."
Israeli police arrested 17 protesters in the Jerusalem protests, which
were "relatively quiet," police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. The
Israeli crews did not work on the ramp Saturday because it was the
Jewish Sabbath, when government activity ceases.
In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, dozens of Palestinian youths threw
rocks at Israeli soldiers guarding a checkpoint into Jerusalem. The
soldiers detained 30 protesters, the army said.
In a similar protest in the West Bank city of Hebron, police responded
with tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. No injuries were reported in
either demonstration.
Police brace for Sunday protests
In anticipation of further protests in Jerusalem on Sunday when the
excavation work will resume, police will keep a beefed-up force and
maintain restrictions at the mosque compound, barring all Muslim men
under the age of 45 from praying there, Ben-Ruby said.
On Friday, about 200 riot police streamed onto the compound, shooting
stun grenades and tear gas when some of the 3,000 Muslim worshippers
there threw rocks at them. Clouds of tear gas rose into the sky and
sharp booms pierced the air.
The compound -- a catalyst for earlier rounds of Israel-Palestinian
fighting -- is home to the third holiest site in Islam and is believed
to be the site where the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven.
Jews venerate the compound as the site of their biblical temples, and
one of its outer walls -- known as the Western Wall -- is the holiest
site in Judaism.
The Israelis say the purpose of the construction project is to build a
new walkway leading to the mount to replace a ramp that was damaged in a
2004 snowstorm. But the Palestinians say the excavations are actually
attempts to damage their shrines.
Israeli officials reject that accusation and say they are not digging
under the compound. They say the work is about 200 feet (60 meters) away
from the mount.
Outcry from other countries
Across the Middle East, there were demonstrations in Egypt, Syria,
Jordan and Lebanon on Friday.
The Arab League secretary-general, Amr Moussa, on Saturday accused
Israel of attempting to "change the features" of Jerusalem with the
excavation and urged the international community to intercede to stop
the work. Moussa said at an emergency meeting of the league that the dig
reflects "Israeli attempts" to tighten control over Jerusalem.
Egypt and Jordan called for Israel to halt the construction. Turkey's
Foreign Ministry in a statement Saturday urged Israel to avoid "acts
that may create new tensions."
Malaysia, which leads the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference,
called for international action to stop the work. Indonesia, the world's
most populous Muslim nation, also called for Israel to halt work on the
ramp.