JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suggested Jews should be banned from a holy site revered by both Jews and Muslims.
Abbas made the comments following recent clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli forces over what Palestinians see as Jewish encroachment on the site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.
Abbas said Jews should be prevented from entering the site “by any means,” adding that “this is our Noble Sanctuary… they have no right to enter and desecrate it.”
Palestinians also say Israel is unfairly restricting access at the site. Israel limited male Muslim worshippers this past week to those 50 years old and older due to recent violence there.
The site is the holiest in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.
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