Diplomacy tries to avoid an escalation of violence in Jerusalem

At the height of the tension between Israelis and Palestinians, the diplomatic activity of neighboring countries and even the United States has intensified in recent days to prevent a new escalation of violence in Jerusalem, where altercations have occurred on the Esplanade of the Mosques.

At the initiative of Jordan, the foreign ministers -including the Palestinian- of the Arab regional committee have been convened today in Amman to address the situation in the compound of the Al Aqsa mosque; while the Israeli foreign minister, Yair Lapidhas met with a delegation from the US State Department.

Arab ministers have warned that “such attacks and violations represent a blatant provocation for the feelings of Muslims”, which “threatens to start another cycle of violence”, as happened in May of last year, when an eleven-day war escalation between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist militias in Gaza was unleashed.

For his part, Lapid pointed out in his meeting with State Department officials that Israel “is dealing with the extremist islamist terror whose objective is to sow violence, fear and chaos”; he has urged regional leaders to “act responsibly to calm the situation” and has insisted that his government is doing everything possible to preserve the status quo in that sacred place.

Hamas leader Ishmael Haniyehalso held a telephone conversation today with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrovin which they highlighted the “inadmissibility of violating the status quo of the holy places, the need to prevent further deterioration of the situation and that the clashes lead to a large-scale military confrontation.”

Status quo of the Esplanade

According to this status quo, in force since 1967, Jordan guards the Esplanade of the Mosques, where worship is reserved only for Muslims; while Jews can only enter as visitors and pray at the nearby Wailing Wall.

However, more and more Jewish settlers sneak to pray in the area where the Second Temple is believed to have been located, something seen as a provocation by the Arab world and the Palestinians, for whom Al Aqsa is part of their national identity, and especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Jewish visits and police charges have drawn condemnation from the Arab world and from Gaza militias, who have warned that it is a red line and have fired rockets from the Strip onto Israeli soil for two consecutive nights, to which Israel it has responded by bombing Hamas military targets.