Abbas to Netanyahu: Chaos at al Aksa could lead to another intifada
Following a meeting in Paris with French President Francois Hollande, the Palestinian leader said the situation in Jerusalem was "a very dangerous one."
By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUAUpdated: SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 23:09Palestinian protesters burn an Israeli flag during a protest against the Israeli police raid on Jerusalem's al Aksa mosque(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "stop the chaos" at Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City.Following a meeting in Paris with French President Francois Hollande, the Palestinian leader said the situation in Jerusalem was "a very dangerous one that is liable to lead to an eruption of an intifada, which we are not interested in."Hollande, in turn, called for "calm, peace, and respecting principles at al Aksa."Abbas arrived on Wednesday in Moscow for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The Palestinian leader is trying to shore up international support as he prepares to deliver remarks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.Abbas and Erdogan took part in the opening ceremony of a large mosque inaugurated by Putin in the Russian capital."It is the right of every Muslim to come pray at al Aksa mosque," the Palestinian leader said. "This mosque is exclusively the property of Muslims, and it is our right to reject any decision by the Israeli side to prevent Muslim access to it."Abbas called on the international community to "defend the Christian and Muslim holy places" in the capital.