Al-Aqsa gunmen in Gaza (archive photo: AP)
Photo: Reuters
The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing, threatened to attack synagogues if the excavations at
the Mugrabi Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City continue.
The Palestinian group claims the excavations are damaging the nearby al-Aqsa mosque.
Several disturbances in protest of the dig were reported in the territories, and Arab television stations continued to broadcast live from the Temple Mount complex.
Arab Knesset Members Mohammad Barakeh (Hadash) and Azmi Bishara (National Democratic Assembly) said they would submit a motion of no-confidence in the government due to the excavations.
Sheikh Raad Salah, leader of the Islamic movement’s northern branch, was detained on Wednesday for allegedly spitting at a Border Guard officer securing the dig.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court issued a restraining order instructing him to stay at least 150 meters away from the Old City for the next week and a half.
Sources in the Arab world continues to claim that the excavations are part of an attempt to ‘build the Third Temple,’ while Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “We must make the Zionists regret their actions.”
Smadar Perry contributed to the report