Al-Aqsa closure ‘declaration of war’

JERUSALEM: Clashes raged in east Jerusalem Thursday after police shot dead a Palestinian accused of trying to kill a Jewish hard-liner, prompting officials to close the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said the move was tantamount to a “declaration of war.” “This dangerous Israeli escalation is a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and its sacred places and on the Arab and Islamic nation,” Abbas said through his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina, warning it would only fuel “more tension and instability.” Islam’s top institution, Al-Azhar, termed it a “barbaric” act that fueled religious conflict. Jordan’s Islamic Waqf, which has responsibility for the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, confirmed it was the first time such a measure had been taken since Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. Later, Israel decided to reopen the mosque compound to Muslims from Friday. Meanwhile, residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tor were left reeling after the early morning police raid that killed 32-year-old Muataz Hijazi. “They burst into the house shortly before 6 a.m., ransacked Muataz’s room and then shot him on the roof,” said his brother Khalil, 34. In a diplomatic development that the Palestinians said was related to the ongoing unrest in east Jerusalem, the Swedish government announced its formal recognition of a Palestinian state, becoming the first EU member in western Europe to do so. Abbas immediately hailed Stockholm’s decision as “brave and historic” and called for others to follow suit. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman lashed out at the move as “deplorable,” issuing a sardonic statement noting that “relations in the Middle East are a lot more complex than the self-assembly furniture of IKEA.” Israel recalled its ambassador to Stockholm for “consultations.” Agencies