Israel detains Islamic leader over Aqsa tension

Israeli police detained the leader of the Islamic Movement on Tuesday over charges of incitement during recent days' tension in Jerusalem, raising fears of further violence.

Sheikh Raed Salah was arrested during clashes between Palestinians and police in the neighborhood of Wadi Joz in Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem on the third day of sporadic violence in and around the Holy City.

"He was arrested over his inflammatory statements in recent days and on suspicion of incitement," police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Rubi told AFP.

Salah, who has been arrested several times and spent two years in Israeli prison, has repeatedly called in recent days for Muslims in Israel and the Palestinian territories to "defend" the al-Aqsa mosque against Israel.

Several Israeli government ministers called for Salah's arrest and for the outlawing of his wing of the Islamic Movement, which boycotts Israeli parliamentary elections out of a refusal to recognize the Jewish state but runs several Israeli Arab town councils.

He was arrested over his inflammatory statements in recent days and on suspicion of incitement

Police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Rubi

Tense situation

Tensions have run high since Sunday after authorities closed the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City, claiming people were inciting violence. Clashes broke out, with seven Palestinian protesters injured and three arrested.

On Tuesday, some 2,000 police officers deployed in strength across Jerusalem as an annual Jewish march took place with no reported incidents.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Sukkot, with one group passing through the annexed Arab eastern sector.

Palestinian youths hurled stones at police in several neighborhoods of east Jerusalem, with one officer stabbed in the neck and lightly wounded, and 20 Palestinians arrested.

Israeli authorities continued on Tuesday to limit access to the mosque compound in the Old City to Muslim men aged 50 and over, with no restrictions for women. Jews and Christians were also barred.

“Battle underway”

Amid the tension, Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told public radio "the battle is underway for sovereignty over Jerusalem and particularly over the Temple Mount."

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat accused Israel of deliberately escalating tensions in east Jerusalem, warning that it was like "lighting matches in the hope of sparking a fire."

"What makes this all the more dangerous is the vacuum created by the absence of a credible peace process that offers hope instead of more settlements on Palestinian land," he said.

For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is following the events of recent days from his home and is being updated constantly and carrying out consultations with the internal security minister and the other security organizations," his office said.

What makes this all the more dangerous is the vacuum created by the absence of a credible peace process that offers hope instead of more settlements on Palestinian land

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat

A flashpoint

Tensions flared on Sunday near the al-Aqsa compound, known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The site is the holiest in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, and has often been a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The second Palestinian intifada broke out there in September 2000 after a visit by Ariel Sharon, the right-wing politician who became Israeli prime minister the following year.

The annual Sukkot marches in Jerusalem, with participants varying from Israeli health enthusiasts walking for the sport to evangelical Christians showing support for the Jewish state, have taken on an increasingly nationalist flavor over the past several years.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community. It considers the entire city to be its "eternal, indivisible" capital.