Arab League calls emergency meeting on Al-Aqsa Mosque

By Khaled Ibrahim

CAIRO (AA) – The Arab League has called an emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday to discuss Israeli violations against Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In a statement on Sunday, the league said the meeting will be held at the request of Jordan.

The call came one day after Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri over phone on the latest developments in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul-Gheit decried what he described as years-long Israeli schemes to Judaize Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem is a red line that Arabs and Muslims would not accept anyone to harm," he said in a statement.

"The Israeli government is playing with fire and risking to trigger a major crisis with the Arab and Muslim worlds,” Abul-Gheit warned.

Anger has spilled across the West Bank since last week when Israel shut the Al-Aqsa Mosque, following a deadly shootout.

The mosque was reopened after a two-day closure, with Israel installing metal detectors and cameras at the mosque’s gates that Palestinians say aim to change the status quo -- a delicate balance of prayer and visiting rights.

Israel refused to remove the detectors, claiming the security measures were similar to procedures taken at other holy sites around the world.

The city of Jerusalem is sacred to members of all there Abrahamic faiths -- Muslims, Jews, and Christians -- and the Al-Aqsa Mosque represents the Islamic world's third-holiest site.