Israel has placed CCTV cameras near an entrance to a holy site in Jerusalem as tensions over security measures there continue.
Metal detectors installed after two Israeli policemen were killed have sparked protests by Palestinians.
It remains unclear if the metal detectors will be removed.
Tensions over the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount, have surged in recent days, with further deaths.
What's the controversy about?
The holy site in Jerusalem's Old City is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine. It is a sacred place to both Jews and Muslims.
The area, in East Jerusalem, has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war.
Israel says that three Israeli Arabs involved in the 14 July shooting near the compound were able to smuggle guns inside and that metal detectors are needed to stop similar attacks. Police chased the attackers into the site afterwards and shot them dead.
But Palestinians strongly object to the installation of metal detectors. They see it as a move by Israel to assert more control over the sacred site and as a violation of longstanding access arrangements.
Many Palestinians have prayed in the streets instead of going through the metal detectors.
What makes Jerusalem so holy?
How much violence has there been in recent days?
Three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces on Friday as thousands protested in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. They were Mohammad Abu Ghannam, 19;
Muhammad Sharaf, 19; and Mohammad Lafi, 18, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Later three Israeli civilians were stabbed to death at a Jewish settlement near Ramallah, in the West Bank, by a Palestinian attacker who entered a home.
They were Yosef Salomon 70, and his children Chaya, 46, and Elad, 36, according to Israeli officials. Mr Saloman's wife, Tova, was injured but survived.
At least one Palestinian also died during clashes on Saturday, according to the Palestinian health ministry. It identified him as 17-year-old Oday Nawajaa.
Some Israeli ministers have suggested that the 19-year-old assailant responsible for Friday's knife attack should receive the death penalty, a sentencing option that remains available in Israel's military courts but has not been used since 1962.
What is significant about the cameras?
There has been speculation that they are meant to replace the metal detectors, but Israeli security sources have been quoted as saying that is not the case.
Palestinian officials are yet to react to their installation.
So will the metal detectors stay?
It is difficult to say but some senior officials from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government have suggested they will.
"They will remain. The murderers will never tell us how to search the murderers," regional development minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio.
Yet Major General Yoav Mordechai has called on the Muslim world to put forward other suggestions to secure the site.
And Israel's public security minister Gilad Erdan has said that the metal detector checks for all Muslims could eventually be replaced with different measures, including more police officers and security cameras with facial recognition technology.
Analysts say the government does not want to be seen as buckling to Palestinian pressure.
Friends, if you like this post kindly comment below and do share your responds Thanks for reading
Metal detectors installed after two Israeli policemen were killed have sparked protests by Palestinians.
It remains unclear if the metal detectors will be removed.
Tensions over the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount, have surged in recent days, with further deaths.
What's the controversy about?
The holy site in Jerusalem's Old City is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine. It is a sacred place to both Jews and Muslims.
The area, in East Jerusalem, has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war.
Israel says that three Israeli Arabs involved in the 14 July shooting near the compound were able to smuggle guns inside and that metal detectors are needed to stop similar attacks. Police chased the attackers into the site afterwards and shot them dead.
But Palestinians strongly object to the installation of metal detectors. They see it as a move by Israel to assert more control over the sacred site and as a violation of longstanding access arrangements.
Many Palestinians have prayed in the streets instead of going through the metal detectors.
What makes Jerusalem so holy?
How much violence has there been in recent days?
Three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces on Friday as thousands protested in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. They were Mohammad Abu Ghannam, 19;
Muhammad Sharaf, 19; and Mohammad Lafi, 18, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Later three Israeli civilians were stabbed to death at a Jewish settlement near Ramallah, in the West Bank, by a Palestinian attacker who entered a home.
They were Yosef Salomon 70, and his children Chaya, 46, and Elad, 36, according to Israeli officials. Mr Saloman's wife, Tova, was injured but survived.
At least one Palestinian also died during clashes on Saturday, according to the Palestinian health ministry. It identified him as 17-year-old Oday Nawajaa.
Some Israeli ministers have suggested that the 19-year-old assailant responsible for Friday's knife attack should receive the death penalty, a sentencing option that remains available in Israel's military courts but has not been used since 1962.
What is significant about the cameras?
There has been speculation that they are meant to replace the metal detectors, but Israeli security sources have been quoted as saying that is not the case.
Palestinian officials are yet to react to their installation.
So will the metal detectors stay?
It is difficult to say but some senior officials from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government have suggested they will.
"They will remain. The murderers will never tell us how to search the murderers," regional development minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio.
Yet Major General Yoav Mordechai has called on the Muslim world to put forward other suggestions to secure the site.
And Israel's public security minister Gilad Erdan has said that the metal detector checks for all Muslims could eventually be replaced with different measures, including more police officers and security cameras with facial recognition technology.
Analysts say the government does not want to be seen as buckling to Palestinian pressure.
What do Palestinian officials say?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered a freezing of all contact with Israel while the metal detectors remain in place.
Meanwhile, the Muslim authorities overseeing the Al-Aqsa mosque say they reject any change to the status quo.
And how has the international community reacted?
On Sunday, the Arab League - a regional association of countries - said Israel was "playing with fire" and that "no Arab or Muslim will accept violations" against holy sites in Jerusalem.
Pope Francis, speaking to pilgrims in Vatican City's St Peter's Square on Sunday, said he was "following with trepidation the grave tension and violence of recent days in Jerusalem" and called for moderation and dialogue.
The UN Security Council will discuss the crisis on Monday.
Friends, if you like this post kindly comment below and do share your responds Thanks for reading
No comments:
Post a Comment