Palestinians pray outside the compound that houses Al-Aqsa mosque, which is known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, following Tuesday's scuffles between Muslim worshipers and Jewish visitors at the site in Jerusalem's Old City. — Reuters OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israeli police briefly detained a top Muslim cleric Wednesday as Israel marked Jerusalem Day, sparking a furious response from Jordan, whose MPs unanimously demanded the expulsion of the Israeli envoy. Police said occupied Jerusalem Mufti Mohammed Hussein was questioned by detectives in connection with an incident at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound a day earlier in which “chairs were thrown at a group of Jews.” After six hours of questioning, he was released without charge, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. “The mufti was investigated for six hours over what happened at Temple Mount yesterday and over his recent declarations about the situation there,” he said, using the Israeli term for the sprawling plaza in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City. The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques and is the third holiest site within Islam. Hussein's detention was condemned by the Palestinians and sparked a furious response from Jordan, which has custodianship over the Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem. During a parliamentary session in Amman, MPs unanimously demanded the government expel Israeli Ambassador Daniel Nevo and recall its own envoy from Tel Aviv, the official Petra news agency said. The vote came in response to “Israeli occupation measures at Al-Aqsa mosque.” Addressing the MPs, Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur said one of the reasons was “the detention of Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Mohammed Hussein.” “If things develop, the government will ask the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting,” Petra quoted him as saying. Mohammed Qudah, Jordan's Islamic Affairs Minister, said: “Israel has prevented worshipers from entering the mosque. It plans to build a bridge to link Al-Aqsa to some nearby settlements.” “Israeli excavations around the mosque have noticeably increased. Around 62 synagogues have been built around Al-Aqsa to form a circle around it,” Petra quoted him as saying. Qudah added that “the most dangerous development was when hundreds of settlers backed by the Israel army entered Al-Aqsa this morning.” “At the same time waqf (Islamic affairs) officials were prevented from going to their work, while materials needed for maintenance of the mosque were not allowed,” he said. There was no immediate response from Israel's Foreign Ministry. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas “condemned the occupying Israeli authorities' detention” of Hussein, his office said. The incident comes as Israelis were celebrating Jerusalem Day, which marks the “reunification” of the city after Israel captured the Arab eastern sector from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel later annexed East Jerusalem in a move never recognized by the international community. — Agencies
