‘Closure of Al-Aqsa mosque to flare up Israeli-Palestinian conflict’

By closing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel is launching war on four fronts - against the Palestinians, all Muslims, Jordan and the international community, Abhallah Abdullah from the Palestinian Legislative council told RT.

By closing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel is launching war on four fronts - against the Palestinians, all Muslims, Jordan and the international community, Abhallah Abdullah from the Palestinian Legislative council told RT.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem has been closed to both Jewish and Muslim worshipers for the first time since 1967. Israel’s public security minister announced that the holy site is prohibited to visitors “until further notice”. At the same time, additional police forces were deployed in Jerusalem. Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, called the closure of the mosque a "declaration of war."

"This dangerous Israeli escalation is a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and its sacred places and on the Arab and Islamic nation," Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina quoted him as saying.

READ MORE:‘Declaration of war’: Abbas warns over 1st Al-Aqsa Mosque closure since 1967

RT:Why do you think Israel has decided to close down Al-Aqsa?

Abhallah Abdullah: This is Israel launching the war on four fronts. The first front is the Palestinians – denying the Palestinians’ the right to worship and closing their holiest site is an aggression that has to be responded to and it is crossing a red line that has been set by the EU and other [members of the] international community. The second front – Israel is launching war against all Muslims. Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest site for all Muslims, 1.5 billion of them. Thirdly, it is launching a war against Jordan because Jordan has an agreement with Israel; it’s a custodian of the holy site and by violating this agreement, Israel is really reneging on its commitment to keep its part of the peace agreement with Jordan. Fourthly, it is launching a war against the international community that stands for international law, for the right of the Palestinians for self-determination.

RT:A Palestinian man suspected of killing a far-right Jewish activist was shot dead by police today. Is this going to stir things up further?

AA: It didn’t start there; it started when the Israelis were discussing…how to take custodianship of the Al-Aqsa Mosque…from Jordan to Israel. It starts when the Israelis are daily flocking, under protection of the Israeli police, to desecrate the holy site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It starts when Israeli leaders are saying that Palestinians will never have a state of their own… there will be no right for the Palestinians to self-determination, the continued policy. The reaction will be a flare up of the conflict. Nobody knows for sure how far it can go unless Israel is really contained, is held accountable for the acts of violation it is continuing, and its occupation of the Palestinian land ends.

RT:The Palestinian President calls the closure a declaration of war. Is he overreacting?

AA: I think it is a declaration of war and the Palestinians will not like that. The Palestinians have to resist any aggression against them, against their land, their rights, their holy sites. Israel has to be at least controlled. If not from within, it has to be controlled by the international community in support of international law, stability and peace in the region.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.