Palestine:: After Jewish activists apparently decided to breach into a holy mosque in East Jerusalem, Palestine called on the United Nations Security Council to prevent Israel from escalating tensions against Palestinians.
Activists from various Jewish organisations have called for an "incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque's compound," which will begin on Thursday morning and last until the afternoon, according to Israeli media.
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the activists' plans to raise Israeli flags and sing the Israeli national anthem at the mosque, saying that "these violations reflect the official Israeli insistence on escalating the situation and carrying out its plans to perpetuate the occupation." The ministry urged the UN Security Council to "take the appropriate steps to put pressure on Israel to stop its aggression against the Palestinian people." The extremists' plans, according to Hussein Al-Sheikh, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, are "an egregious contempt for the sensibilities of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims," as well as "a continuation of radical racial campaigns."
The Israeli government has not responded to the calls of Israeli radicals. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been high since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in early April.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, known as Noble Sanctuary to Palestinians and Temple Mount to Jews, has long been a flashpoint in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
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