Almanar
26/02/2010 The Islamic bloc at the United Nations on Thursday called for international action to force Israel to rescind its decision to renovate two holy sites in the occupied West Bank.
Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari, speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) UN ambassadors, condemned the "illegality and illegitimacy" of the Israeli decision which they view as "null and void".
They called on all relevant UN bodies "to take urgent, necessary measures to force Israel to rescind this decision" and urged the Security Council, the General Assembly and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to "shoulder their responsibility".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked outrage earlier this week when he said he hoped to include “Rachel's Tomb” in Bethlehem and the “Tomb of the Patriarchs” in occupied Al-Khalil in a so-called “national heritage restoration plan”.
The two sites are revered by Jews and Muslims. The “Tomb of the Patriarchs” (as Jews call it), is the Sanctuary of Abraham (as Muslims call it) where Prophet Ibrahim peace be upon him is believed buried. The Tomb of Rachel (as Jews call it) is the Mosque of Bilal Bin Rabah (as Muslims call it) Prophet Mohammed’s (pbuh) Mou’azen.
Netanyahu was lambasted by the Israeli press Friday over his plans to renovate the two Muslim holy sites, with two papers warning he is playing with fire.
Three of Israel's leading dailies accused the prime minister of pandering to the settler lobby and the far right.
Both Haaretz and Yediot Aharonot carried cartoons of Netanyahu with a box of matches, indicating how provocative they saw his proposals to be.
Haaretz dubbed the Israeli prime minister a "master pyromaniac" for the move, which has infuriated the Muslim world and drawn criticism from the wider international community.
The paper recalled that it was Netanyahu who during a previous term as premier in 1996 sparked bloody riots in occupied Jerusalem by ordering the opening of a tunnel under the Al-Asqa mosque compound.
The paper said that the two sites deserved to be preserved as part of Jewish as well as Muslim heritage but asked whether it was really necessary to "open such a Pandora's box at a time when the world is looking for a resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians."
"Netanyahu has shown once again that he is incapable of standing up to pressure," it added, recalling that the two sites were not included on a preliminary list of heritage sites.
The rightwing Maariv newspaper was also critical, accusing the prime minister of "having learnt nothing from the past."
Meanwhile, Palestinian protests in occupied Al-Khalil in the wake of Israel's decision to include the two holy sites in its heritage sites list may get out of control, Palestinian Authority officials warned Thursday night. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad prayed at the Abraham Mosque in Al-Khalil town on Friday amid a fifth straight day of clashes in the West Bank town.
The Palestinian organizations declared a day of popular protest across the territories, particularly in Bethlehem and Al-Khalil. The Muslims are also marking the Prophet Muhammad's birthday and the 16th anniversary of the Baruch Goldstein massacre at the holy Abraham Mosque, which left 29 Palestinians killed. The combination of events may lead to an escalation, but PA officials stressed that the struggle would be popular and non-violent.
Meanwhile, a senior Fatah figure in Al-Khalil accused Israel of attempting to ruin all the efforts to resume the diplomatic process.
In a conversation with Ynet, Palestinian Parliamentarian Abu-Ali Yatta said that designating the Cave of the Patriarchs as a heritage site is an Israeli attempt to divert attention from domestic problems and the pressure exerted on occupied Jerusalem to renew peace talks.
"It's typical for the Israelis, every time the need to renew negotiations is brought up, to produce a crisis in order to divert the pressure and attention," he said. ""One time it's the Iranian nuclear program, another time it's the question of these sites, and all of it is aimed at buying time and evading international pressure to resolve the conflict through the establishment of a Palestinian state."
Around 100 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in Al-Khalil on Thursday in a fourth straight day of angry protests over the proposed listings, which even Israel's US ally has criticized as "provocative."
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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