Israel provokes Palestinians, again

The Palestinians are accusing Israel, and rightly so, of provoking a third Intifada in the West Bank by attempting to change the status quo of Al Haram Al Sharif compound and by attempting to kill, successfully, no doubt, as many Palestinian protesters as possible.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al Malki was recently quoted by Agence France-Presse as openly charging Israel with seeking to provoke a third Intifada in order to implement its policy of strengthening the grip on Palestinian lands, especially in East Jerusalem.

It will be recalled that the second Palestinian Intifada was triggered by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Islamic holy places in East Jerusalem; he sought and managed to provoke the Palestinians to react, igniting a deadly wave of protests.

On September 28, 2000, Sharon, accompanied by about 1,000 Israeli police, trespassed on Al Aqsa Mosque, declaring: “Temple Mount is in our hands.”

What followed was an uprising that left 4,973 Palestinians dead and many thousands more injured and maimed, including children.

Israel exploits Palestinian protests to kill more Arabs and advance its scheme for Palestine.

This time around, it managed to stir again Palestinians’ emotions by violating, again, the sanctity of the Islamic sites in East Jerusalem, where it hopes to change the status quo observed since the Israeli occupation began in 1967.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced his intention to make a hurried visit to the area to “cool things off”.

It is a visit that should have been done before things escalated to this point.

Moreover, the US administration, the only entity with some clout with the Israelis, should have forcefully asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from attempting to change the status quo in East Jerusalem, by word or by deed.

Not much hope is pinned on Kerry’s visit, even though one wants it to succeed for the sake of all sides.