Tenions rise around Mercy Gate at Al Aqsa

(5 Mar 2019) LEADIN: Unrest between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police has erupted over the past weeks around the sacred Al-Aqsa mosque compound An Islamic council has reopened a building in the compound - but an Israeli court wants it closed. STORYLINE: The golden Dome of the Rock glistens over Jerusalem. But the sacred Al Aqsa compound is an historic flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And those tensions have reared their heads again in recent weeks. Palestinians from the Islamic council that oversees Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem have re-opened a building in the compound, known as Mercy Gate. Waqf officials have cited a pressing need for its restoration and claim that the Israeli justification for its closure - the building's connection to a militant Islamic group - are no longer relevant. "There are big problems, water coming from all the places of the Mercy Gate, the place is not well set up," says Najeh Bkiarat, the deputy head of the Islamic council known as the Waqf. "The Israeli side is preventing the entry of restoration equipment, the Israeli side is responsible for the lack of restoration." Israeli police accuse the Islamic officials of "changing the status quo" at the sensitive site, and have arrested dozens of Palestinians it suspects of inciting violence. Protests that have erupted around the gate throughout the past month. And following confrontations between worshippers and security officers, Israeli police have banned several Waqf members, a number of guards, and some Muslim worshippers from entering the holy site. Bkiarat calls the bans "irrational". "This is a fight against the idea of freedom of worship, Al-Aqsa is the right of Muslims," he says. An Israeli court has renewed its order to close the Mercy Gate, giving the Waqf a week to comply. But today (Tuesday), the Waqf rejected the court's decision. Islamic officials warn that the brewing tension could turn into a broader escalation. "This lights the fuse of a religious war and ignites the whole area, not only Jerusalem," says Omar Kiswani, director of Al-Aqsa mosque. "Now, they are beating the drums of religious war inside Al-Aqsa mosque. If they do this (close the Mercy Gate area), we warn the wise to stay away from Al-Aqsa and stay away from the Mercy Gate." The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is considered the third-holiest place in Islam and the holiest by Jews. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...