JERUSALEM:
Israel on Thursday took several steps, including barring all
non-Muslims from entering the Al-Aqsa mosque, to allow unrestricted Eid
prayers at the sensitive site, amid mounting international pressure on
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ease the restrictions on Muslim
worshippers.
The site holy to both Jews and Muslims will remain close for Jewish visitors during the festival. The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, has been a flashpoint for violence in Israel-Palestinian conflict in recent days.
Last week, on the eve of the Jewish new year, tensions boiled over when Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the mosque and threw rocks and firecrackers at police.
Local media reports here said that Jordan's King Abdullah has told visiting guests in recent days that he refuses to take phone calls from Netanyahu to prevent Israel from using them to give the impression that the two nations were coordinating their reactions on the ongoing violence on the hilltop complex.
London-based Rai al Youm newspaper in a report on Thursday quoted sources from Jordan's royal palace confirming that the king has refused to take calls from Netanyahu.
Abdullah told Israeli-Arab lawmakers in a meeting that Al-Aqsa Mosque was open for Muslims only and cannot be shared.
The site holy to both Jews and Muslims will remain close for Jewish visitors during the festival. The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, has been a flashpoint for violence in Israel-Palestinian conflict in recent days.
Last week, on the eve of the Jewish new year, tensions boiled over when Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the mosque and threw rocks and firecrackers at police.
Local media reports here said that Jordan's King Abdullah has told visiting guests in recent days that he refuses to take phone calls from Netanyahu to prevent Israel from using them to give the impression that the two nations were coordinating their reactions on the ongoing violence on the hilltop complex.
London-based Rai al Youm newspaper in a report on Thursday quoted sources from Jordan's royal palace confirming that the king has refused to take calls from Netanyahu.
Abdullah told Israeli-Arab lawmakers in a meeting that Al-Aqsa Mosque was open for Muslims only and cannot be shared.
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