Arab anger over the Israeli massacres against the Palestinians
Regional-Israel, Politics, 10/2/2000

Arab and international reactions continued on Sunday over the Israeli- Palestinian continued confrontations for the fourth running day, erupted following the provocative visit made by Israel's Likud party leader Ariel Sharon to the square of the al-Aqsa mosque on Thursday.

The reactions ranged between denunciation and the call on Washington to interfere, calls to liberating all occupied Palestinian territories and halting normalization.

To this effect, the Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov warned that "extremists elements" are exposing the ME peace process to danger. This was expressed in a telephone call he made on Saturday evening with his Israeli counterpart Shloumo Bin Ami and the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. A statement read by the Russian foreign ministry of Sunday said that Ivanov talked on the telephone with Bin Ami to discuss the conditions in the West Bank and Gaza strip under the Palestinian - Israeli confrontations.

In Tehran the chairman of the Iranian Shoura council ( parliament) mahdi Karoubi on Sunday condemned what he described the " silence of the Muslim states towards the Palestinians following the bloody confrontations with the Israeli forces."

He added: " we do not complain against the Zionists because it is the nature of Zionism to violate human rights, but we do complain against the Muslim governments which are witnesses against the crimes in Palestine and show off silence and weakness."

In Amman, the Jordanian king on Sunday expressed Jordan's stand with all its potentials behind the Palestinian people. He held Israel responsible for " the provocative acts took place during the past four bloody days."

The Jordanian TV and Petra news agency quoted the Jordanian King as saying to Arafat in a telephone call that " Jordan refuses the unjustified provocative acts, warning against the consequences of these acts on the peace process." The King stressed that Jordan is ready to provide all medical needs to the wounded and to treat them in the hospitals of the Kingdom.

In Tunisia, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday it " follows up with great anger the confrontations inside al-Aqsa mosque and strongly condemns the Israeli crimes." It called on the ME peace process cosponsors ( Russia and the US) and the European Union to " rapidly interfere to put an end to the Israeli provocation." It called on all sides to resume peace negotiations " seriously and with good intention with the aim to reach a just and durable settlement."

Similar reactions were stressed in al-Rabat, al-Manama, Abu Dhabi and the Islamic world league with statements called for backing the Palestinians and preventing the Israelis from violating the Islamic holy sites.

Previous Stories:
  Jerusalem's condition deteriorated due to fighting   (9/30/2000)
  Hamas: Sharon defies Muslim's feelings by visiting al-Aqsa mosque   (9/28/2000)
  Palestinians: U.S. insists on making progress in peace process   (9/28/2000)
  Arab League protest developing nuclear cooperation with Israel   (7/15/2000)
  Albright's tour in Middle East area begins   (6/28/2000)
  Arab League calls for establishing an international court to try Israeli war criminals   (5/19/2000)

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