RAMALLAH - Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat warned yesterday of "grave consequences" if the Israeli government continued to allow Jewish extremists to visit the Temple Mount.
Arafat's senior advisor, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said the chairman had summoned members of the diplomatic corps in Jerusalem for a meeting at his Ramallah compound to brief them on the gravity of the situation.
Arafat asked diplomats "to contain the consequences of this crime and prevent its repetition," warning that it could "ignite the situation once again," Abu Rudeineh said.
Early yesterday, groups of Jews under Israeli police protection performed religious rituals on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, on a visit to Egypt and Jordan before he embarks on a Washington trip, also called the Israeli act "provocative" during a press conference with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa in Cairo.
The Israeli government has said it was going to allow non-Muslims to enter the Haram compound for regular visits after the Waqf closed it to non-Muslims with the outbreak of the intifada three years ago.
