A pan-Islamic body accused Israel of trying to drag the Middle East into a religious war after the Jewish state inaugurated on Monday a restored historic synagogue in the Old City in East Jerusalem, not far from the third holiest site for Islam, al-Aqsa Mosque.
Organization of Islamic Conference Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu "renews his call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in pre-empting Israel from dragging the region into a religious war by continuing its blatant assault on the sanctity of Muslims," the Jeddah-based body said in a statement.
At least 50 Palestinian protesters were injured and more than 30 others arrested in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the several areas in Jerusalem. Israeli authorities have reportedly beefed up security measures around Arab cities in northern Israel and blocked two busloads of local Arabs from heading for Jerusalem, in a bid to forestall an escalation in the flashpoint city.
The confrontations came in the wake of weeks of simmering tensions since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month included two holy sites in the West Bank into an Israeli heritage list, triggering Palestinian accusations that the Jewish state was attempting to tighten its grip on Palestinian territories and establish fait accompli to prevent the Palestinians from having a viable state.
hsanoglu condemned the Israeli move of "constructing" a Jewish synagogue, saying it was carried out "on an Islamic Waqf (endowed) plot of land near al-Aqsa Mosque."
"The al-Kharab synagogue has been built on the ruins of an Ottoman building that is located within the confines of Islamic buildings adjacent to al-Omari Mosque in al-Sharaf district, which was occupied by Israel in 1967," he said, using the Arabic name of Hurva Synagogue.
The OIC chief said Israel expelled the area's Palestinian residents, demolished the majority of Arab houses, and constructed a settlement called "the Jewish neighborhood."
"The synagogue is erected at the heart of the Muslim neighborhood, just dozens of meters away from the western wall of the al-Aqsa Mosque, making crystal clear the grave implications of Israeli schemes that target the al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and Jerusalem's future," he added.
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