BICOM

Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon agreed to ease access for Palestinians as a gesture to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which begins today and ends on Tuesday.

A series of clashes has occurred during the last two weeks, centred on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which is holy to Jews and Muslims. In addition, Israelis in the West Bank and Jerusalem have been the target of repeated rock-throwing and firebomb attacks by Palestinians. A 64-year-old Israeli man, died in Jerusalem last week after his car was struck with rocks. However, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur ended last night without serious incident.

Ya’alon agreed that the hours of West Bank border crossings will be extended for the coming days and that West Bank Palestinians will be allowed to make family visits to Israel during the next couple of days. They will also be free to travel from Ben Gurion International Airport. Meanwhile, there will be no age restriction for Palestinians with Israeli identity cards at the Temple Mount today, while Jewish visitors will be barred from the site. During the recent clashes there, Israel’s government has repeatedly reiterated that it has no intention of altering the delicate status quo at the Temple Mount, which sees Jews banned from praying at the site for fear it may incite violence.

Nonetheless, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has blamed Israel’s government for the Temple Mount clashes and said yesterday that there is “risk of an intifada.” Meanwhile, Israel Radio says that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has told Abbas that his inflammatory comments increase tensions in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Israel’s security cabinet is expected to vote today on a number of measures which are intended to combat the recent spate of rock-throwing and firebombs targeting Israelis. They include mandatory minimum sentences for anyone found guilty of such an offence and a change in the rules of engagement for Israeli forces facing such a scenario.