[Ha'aretz] Barak Ravid and Liel Kyzer - After previously focusing on Israeli construction in eastern Jerusalem, the Palestinian Authority has begun a new diplomatic campaign against Israel over what it terms "provocations" on the Temple Mount. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told foreign ambassadors last Tuesday that the clashes on the eve of Yom Kippur were "an assault by extremist religious settlers on the Temple Mount compound." Yet Fayyad's description bears no resemblance to Israel's version. According to senior Israeli officials, a group of French tourists - most of them Christians - came to the mount for a previously arranged tour, and hundreds of Palestinians began hurling stones at them. Nevertheless, Fayyad's plea drew a swift response from the U.S. and many EU countries, all of which demanded explanations from Israeli officials.
2009-10-05 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive