Aggravation of situation in Jerusalem harmful for Palestinian-Israeli settlement - Russian diplomat

UNITED NATIONS, September 15. /TASS/. Any rash actions by both the Israeli and Palestinian sides in Jerusalem are fraught with "most negative consequences" for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement, Russian Permanent Representative at the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Tuesday, commenting on the situation in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. He said aggravation of the situation around Jerusalem holy sites may "make chances for reaching a fair solution to the Palestinian problem more distant" and "impair the situation in the Middle East and North Africa in general." The Russian diplomat called on the Israeli and Palestinians to show restraint and refrain from steps "that might further heat up the situation." "Bearing in mind the fact that the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement is far from normal, any rash step may entail the most negative consequences," Churkin said. He drew attention to the fact that the Palestinian problem "is being extensively used in propaganda purposes by terrorists of all shades who motivate their crimes by religious tenets." He expressed confidence that issues linked with Jerusalem’s sacred places "are to be settled in direct Palestinian-Israeli talks." As long as contradictions are not settled, it is vital to "preserve status quo of the holy sites and refrain from any unilateral actions that might provoke interreligious tensions," he said. Clashes between Arabs and the Israeli police have continued on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount for the thirds day in a row. Riots broke out on Sunday morning when a group of young Arabs wearing masks began to throw stones at the police trying to get inside the al-Aksa Mosque to secure it for Jewish visitors. Churkin said the United Nations Security Council chaired by Russia would pass a Jordan-initiated statement for the press over the situation in Jerusalem later in the day. Read more