Israel installs new security cameras amidst dispute over Jerusalem holy site

Israeli border police officers stand guard near newly installed cameras at the entrance to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound

Israel installed new security cameras yesterday at the entrance to a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, as officials began indicating it was considering “alternatives” to the metal detectors at the contested shrine that set off a weekend of violence and raised tensions in the region.

Israel set up the new security measures last week after Arab gunmen opened fire from the shrine, killing two Israeli policemen. It said they were a necessary measure to prevent more attacks and were deployed routinely at holy sites around the world. But Muslims alleged Israel was trying to expand its control at the Muslim-administered site and have launched mass prayer protests.

Three Palestinians were killed in street clashes Friday in some of the worst street violence in years, and later a Palestinian stabbed to death three members of an Israeli family.

Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who heads the Israeli defense body for Palestinian civilian affairs, said Israel was open to alternatives to lower the tensions.

“The only thing we want is to ensure no one can enter with weapons again and carry out another attack,” he said. “We’re willing to examine alternatives to the metal detectors as long as the solution of alternative ensures the prevention of the next attack.”

However, the top Muslim cleric of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, told the Voice of Palestine he demands a complete return to procedures that were in place before the initial attack at the shrine, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

In a statement yesterday, the Islamic institutions in Jerusalem, of which he is a part, said they “affirm the categorical rejection of the electronic gates and all the measures of occupation.”

Disputes over the shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, have set off major rounds of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations in the past.

On Friday, several thousand Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in Jerusalem after noon prayers — the centerpiece of the Muslim religious week. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen wounded after protesters burned tires and threw stones and firecrackers. Israeli troops responded with live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas.

Late Friday night, a 20-year-old Palestinian identified as Omar al-Abed jumped over the fence of the Halamish settlement near Ramallah and entered a home, surprising a family that was celebrating a new grandchild during their traditional Sabbath dinner. He stabbed to death Yosef Salomon, 70, and his adult children, 46-year-old Chaya and 35-year-old Elad, while his daughter-in-law escaped to a separate room to shelter her young children.

A neighbor, an off-duty soldier, heard the screams, rushed to the home and opened fire, wounding the attacker. TV footage showed the floor tiles drenched in blood, and officials called it a “massacre.”

“This has nothing to do with metal detectors. There is no justification for murdering a grandfather at a party to celebrate the birth of his new grandson,” said Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy of the Yesha settlers’ council.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the attack as “an act of terror, carried out by a beast who was incited with unfathomable hatred.”

At his weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu vowed the killer’s home would be demolished swiftly in retribution and those who incited and glorified his act would be dealt with.

“Since the beginning of the events I’ve conducted a series of meetings and evaluations with the all the security officials, including those on the ground. We receive updates on the ground from them and recommendations on how to act and we decide accordingly,” he said.

Israel has repeatedly accused the Palestinian Authority of permitting anti-Israeli incitement in the public Palestinian discourse and vowed to act against it. The Palestinians reject the allegations, saying Israel’s 50-year-old occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state is at the root of widespread Palestinian anger and helps drive violence.

Israel has yet to comment on the new cameras and whether they offered a chance to restore calm. A top adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was holding consultations with various countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, about the crisis.

Abbas announced Friday he would “freeze” ties with Israel “on all levels” until the new security measures Israel imposed at the Jerusalem site were removed. Halting security coordination with Israel would have far-reaching repercussions and could sharply raise tensions.

But Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman says the security ties are more beneficial to the Palestinians anyway, and while Israel can live without them the Palestinians would suffer.

“We are not going to chase after them,” Lieberman told the YNet news site, before lambasting Abbas for not condemning the stabbing attack. “We need to understand that he is not a partner. He is not looking for peace.”

The assailant said in a pre-attack Facebook post that he expected to be killed in the attack and his father said he was motivated by the violence at the Jerusalem shrine, which in a rare move was briefly shut down last week after the shooting attack.

The site is administered by Muslim authorities under the auspices of Jordan but Israel maintains security control of the compound.

Anticipating a demolition, local residents in the village of Kobar said the family emptied its home of valuables Saturday. Later, clashes erupted as residents burned tires and hurled rocks at Israeli troops who had searched the home. The military said about 50 people attacked troops who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Low-level clashes took place elsewhere throughout the day. In one, a Palestinian died under questionable circumstances. Witnesses said the 23-year-old tried to hurl a metal pipe filled with homemade explosives at Israeli soldiers but it exploded in his hand. Ramallah Hospital director Ahmad Betawi said the man died of shrapnel wounds but could not define what kind without an autopsy.

Israel fortified its troops in the West Bank and placed forces on high alert after the attack. The Israeli military said it carried out a wave of overnight arrests of 29 people, including several members of the Islamic Hamas militant group.

Gaza’s Hamas rulers praised the attack, but stopped short of taking responsibility for it. AP