PA: Israel's escalation in Jerusalem is a declaration of war on our people

The Palestinian Authority is holding the Israeli government responsible for what it described as “a dangerous” escalation in occupied Jerusalem, considering this move “a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and its sacred places,” Anadolu agency reported.

According to Anadolu, Abbas’s spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeina told WAFA news agency that the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque “was a brazen challenge and dangerous behaviour, and will lead to more tension and instability and create a very dangerous atmosphere”.

“We hold the Israeli government responsible for this dangerous escalation in Jerusalem that has reached its peak through the closure of the Al-Aqsa mosque this morning,” he said.

Abu Rudeina called on the international community to “take action immediately in order to stop this aggression because with such attacks and dangerous escalation, Israel is declaring war against the Palestinian people and their holy places and against both the Arab and Islamic nations”.

Various clashes broke out on Thursday morning in a number of East Jerusalem neighbourhoods after Israeli occupation forces killed former prisoner Mutaz Hijazi in his Jerusalem home and decided to completely close off Al-Aqsa Mosque until further notice.

The Israeli police accused Hijazi of being responsible for the attack on Yehuda Glick, a right-wing Jewish rabbi who frequently calls for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its eventual destruction. Glick was shot on Wednesday evening in Jerusalem and badly wounded.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the Islamic Jihad movement issued a statement recognising Hijazi as one of its members, but did not claim any responsibility for the attack.