«Israeli» Minister: Metal Detectors «Crucial» for Al-Quds Site

Local Editor

Under the pretext of "maintaining security" in the al-Quds [Jerusalem] holy sites, the "Israeli" entity's so-called public security minister asserted Thursday the importance of placing metal detectors at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Muslims, however, had called for mass protests in the city if they are not removed.

The "Israeli" entity's Army Radio reported Gilad Erdan as saying that the entity's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will rule on the issue later in the day after he holds security consultations upon his return from a working visit to Europe.

The "Israeli" official alleged that the measures were necessary to carry out proper security checks and no an attempt to expand control over the site.

"The Israeli police needs these metal detectors so the security checks can give a proper response to the security considerations," he said. "I assume there are contacts internationally to try to calm the situation, but in my eyes there is no reason why the situation should not be calm."

Tensions are high ahead of Friday, the highlight of the Muslim religious week, when tens of thousands of Muslims typically attend prayers in the walled compound in al-Quds' Old City. Muslim leaders had called for mass protests if the metal detectors are not moved before then.

Muslim clerics have been urging the faithful to forego prayers in neighborhood mosques on Friday and converge on the shrine, in an attempt to draw larger crowds. Worshippers had been asked this week to pray in the streets rather than submit to the new security procedures.

Netanyahu, who is in Hungary, held a pair of urgent phone consolations with his security chiefs Wednesday and appears to be under intense international pressure to back down.

Netanyahu said the entity is in close contact with Jordan to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The site remained quiet Thursday and Azzam Khatib, the director of the site's Muslim administration, or Waqf, said he was hopeful an arrangement could be found before the Friday prayers.

"We will never ever accept any changes in the mosque, and ‘Israel' has to put an end to this crisis by removing the metal detectors," he said.

After last week's operations, the "Israeli" entity closed the site for two days for searches. It was only the third closure since the entity captured the shrine, along with east al-Quds and other territories, in the 1967 Mideast war.

The closure drew wide condemnation from the Muslim world. The "Israeli" entity began opening the site gradually on Sunday.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team