Palestinians warn of religious war as tension mounts at Jerusalem holy site

A senior Palestinian official warned on Sunday of a regional religious war that might break out, as long as tension at al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem goes on.

Mahmoud Habbash, the Palestinian judges chief, told Xinhua that the reflection of endless Israeli attacks and assaults on al-Aqsa Mosque "will certainly be heading toward a religious war in the region."

"The religious war may first break out between Israel and the Palestinians and it expands and includes the Arab World and the entire world," said Habbsah," adding "Israel is the one which pushes everyone to a dangerous war."

He called on the international community to intervene "to stop Israel's practices and its attempts to divide al-Aqsa Mosque area into time and place," adding "it is the role of the Arabs and Muslims to protect our holy shrine."

Habbash's remarks were made in comment to the clashes that erupted earlier on Sunday between dozens of prayers and Israeli police forces at yards of the Mosque.

Palestinian sources said that the police clashed with the prayers at the mosque when they tried to get the prayers outside including women, adding that the Israeli police deployed dozens of policemen outside the mosque.

The sources also said that the Israeli police forces arrested several prayers overnight from inside the mosque, adding that the arrests of prayers came after they tried to prevent a group of Jewish settlers from entering into the mosque area.

Tension grew on Sunday after a group of Jewish settlers headed by the Israeli Minister of Agriculture Ori Ariel entered the yard of al-Aqsa Mosque.

Meanwhile, an Israeli police spokeswoman said in a press statement that according to the information the police received, dozens of Palestinian young men stayed inside al-Aqsa Mosque overnight.

The spokeswoman said the Palestinians stored stones and empty bottles and fireworks to prevent the police from closing the gate that leads to the mosque, adding that when the police came to close the gate, they threw stones at the police. Endit