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Israeli police: Fatah official involved in attack on soldiers
 [Ma'an] Israeli police accused Fatah official Hatem Abdul Qader of involvement in an attack on two Israeli solders during the October Israeli crackdown on Palestinians seeking entry to Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, his lawyer said. The police called Abdul Qader to the Russian Compound investigation center in Jerusalem on Wednesday night and questioned him for four hours on the topic, saying the soldiers were ready to testify against him. Abdul Qader's lawyer Ahmad Safia said the accusations were baseless and only aimed at sending his client to prison. He said Israeli police made no mention of the charges earlier in the month when Abdul Qader was held for 12 hours at the compound. Abdul Qader himself denied the charges, noting charges should rather be laid on Israeli police who beat him when they raided the Al-Aqsa compound. The Fatah official was released on bail, and his lawyer handed over the names of several witnesses who would testify on Abdul Qader's behalf against the charges. For three weeks in September and October clashes persisted in Jerusalem, as the overlap between the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the start of the Jewish high holidays overlapped. As the Jewish holidays began, restrictions were placed on Palestinians wishing to enter Jerusalem to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, angering hundreds of thousands of faithful denied their right to worship. In the following weeks, ultra-religious Jewish groups repeatedly attempted to enter the Al-Aqsa compound, sparking a movement by Jerusalemite Palestinians to guard the mosque. More than a 100 Palestinians barricaded themselves in the compound during the period of tension, and on at least three occasions clashes broke out between soldiers, settlers and Palestinians in the holy area. Dozens of other Palestinian protests against the increased Israeli military restrictions on travel to Jerusalem erupted and were stifled. Posted by: Fred 2010-01-02 |
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