JERUSALEM (AP) β The Palestinian prime minister has paid a rare visit to a key Jerusalem holy site in a bid to bolster Palestinian claims to the area.
Rami Hamdallah’s visit today to the Dome of the Rock today comes at a time of rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in east Jerusalem. The Islamic shrine in Jerusalem’s Old City is located on a hilltop that was one the site of the biblical Jewish temples. It is a frequent flashpoint of violence.
Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, a group of Jews claiming the right to pray freely at the site, says they expect the Israeli police and government to protect Jewish pilgrims wishing to pray at the holy site.
Yitzhak Aharonovich, Israeli minister of internal security, said access to the site had been discussed at the Knesset, but there would be no change to the status quo.
The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967, as their capital.
Sound:
%@AP Links
224-a-10-(Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, in AP interview)-“of protecting them”-Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, says Jews should be allowed to pray at the site of the biblical Jewish temples. (27 Oct 2014)
< 225-a-08-(Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, in AP interview)-“kind of violence”-Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, says Jewish visitors to the temple mount deserve protection from Palestinian protesters. (27 Oct 2014) <
