Arab-Israeli lawmaker warns of third Intifada after Al Aqsa closure

Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount could lead to a third Intifada, following closure after Friday's attack by three Israeli-Arab gunmen, Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh said on Saturday night.

The leader of the Arab bloc in the Knesset told Channel 2's Meet the Press: "Closing the Al Aqsa Mosque is explosive. The second Intifada broke out on al Aqsa. I warn against the third," according to the Jerusalem Post.

He criticized the attack, saying that Israeli Arabs should wage a "political struggle, and not in any way an armed struggle."

MKs from the Islamic Movement-affiliated United Arab List party and the Ta'al party, both part of the Joint List, also released statements condemning violence.

Odeh added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "wants to turn the conflict from a political to a religious one, which is why he backs provocative entry by settlers into the area of the mosque."

Jews are not allowed in the close vicinity of the mosque, but they are allowed in the Temple Mount Plaza, where they are prohibited from praying.

In a statement released after an emergency meeting, the High Follow-Up Committee termed the attack a "rejected individual act that doesn't serve the struggle of the Arab masses to defend their presence, rights and holy sites.

The three gunmen, who were shot dead by security personnel, came from the northern city of Umm el Fahm.

source: xinhua