Saudi king demands UN action on Al-Aqsa clashes
Salman asks UK, Russia and France to address crisis
RIYADH - Saudi King Salman has appealed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and members of the Security Council for “urgent measures” after clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, international media reported on Thursday.
Salman expressed strong condemnation of the dangerous Israeli escalation at the holy site where Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police for three straight days, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He called for serious and speedy international efforts and for the intervention of the Security Council to take all urgent measures to stop these violations. “Attack on worshippers violates the sanctity of religions and contributes to feeding extremism and violence in the world,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.
The Saudi king made the same appeal in phone calls to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande, who had warned that any change in the rules governing Al-Aqsa Mosque compound could lead to serious destabilisation.
The third-holiest site in Islam, the compound is also the holiest site in Judaism, which venerates it as the Temple Mount. Under longstanding regulations, Jews are allowed to visit but cannot pray there to avoid provoking tensions.
Muslims fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access and even efforts by fringe organisations to erect a new temple.
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