Palestine seeks extremists' withdrawal from East Jerusalem holy sites

United Nations, Nov 6: The Palestine has called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to demand withdrawal of extremist Israelis desecrating Islamic holy sites in East Jerusalem, to help in ending a "very explosive situation" and stave off a "religious confrontation".

The Palestinian permanent observer in UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters here that he has sent letters to the president of the 15- nation Council for this month, Australian Ambassador Gary Quinlan, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Sam Kutesa of the UN General Assembly requesting the world organisation to "shoulder its responsibilities" and end the confrontation, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

"This letter is related to the very explosive situation in East Jerusalem especially in the Islamic holy sites," he said, standing outside the Security Council chamber.

Mansour allegedly said "extremist groups supported by extremists in the Israeli government; supported and protected by hundreds of soldiers and policemen stormed" the holy sites and " some of them, entered the mosque with their shoes on and even some of them climbed on .. one of the altars in the mosque with their shoes on, which is something that is extremely provocative and it is not sensitive to the feelings of Muslim worshippers in that place".

"Of course, that led to a confrontation with the Moslem worshippers, Palestinians, and my understanding is that a large number of Palestinians were injured through the confrontation with security forces of Israel, the occupying power," he added.

"This is an explosive situation in which extremists in the Israeli government and among the settlers and other extreme groups are trying to push the region into religious confrontation," the Palestinian ambassador reportedly said. "That attitude and behaviour will take us to a place where we don't know the results."

IANS