Jerusalem is living through another spiral of tension. Israeli police units remain reinforced over unrest in the predominantly Arab-populated eastern part of the city and the nearby areas. Stiff restrictions are still in force on visiting the Temple Mount, - the site of Muslim pilgrimage.
The moves in question are due to prevent developments from following Tuesday's scenario, when over 40 people were injured and several dozen were arrested in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police.
Unrest was sparked off by an appeal by the HAMAS Palestinian movement to hold a "day of wrath" over Israel's action that the movement saw as a challenge to the Al-Aqsa mosque, a Muslim shrine. What Israel did was to open the restored Hurva synagogue in the Jewish quarter of the Old City, which neighbours on the Temple Mount. But the actual reason for protests has nothing to do with the location of the two religious centres. The actual reason is the stalled Middle East peace process, says an expert with the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Oriental Studies Vladimir Sotnikov, and elaborates:
"The Middle East peace process has been stalemated, provoking fresh contradictions between the conflicting parties. The latest incident around the mosque is a reflection of this stalemate".
Hopes for the resumption of dialogue with Israel have given way to bitter disappointment in Palestinian society after an agreement to resume indirect contacts was torpedoed by the Israeli government's decision to build 1,600 homes for Jews in East Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership accused Israel of trampling on the legitimate rights of Palestinians.
The international community has called on both sides to show maximum restraint to prevent an escalation of the conflict. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to arrive in Moscow on Wednesday to attend a session of the Middle East Quartet set up by Russia, the Untied States, the United Nations and the European Union at the Madrid conference.
Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to honor its international commitments and refrain from tensions-mounting moves, particularly in East Jerusalem with its expanding Jewish settlement infrastructure, while Palestinian residents are displaced, their homes torn down and their ownership rights are annulled.
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