US MIDDLE East envoy George Mitchell has arrived in Israel for another round of shuttle diplomacy aimed at restarting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Mr Mitchell is expected to urge both sides to calm tensions that have boiled over in recent days in and around Jerusalem’s old city.
Thousands of Israeli police reinforcements have deployed in the capital and there have been daily clashes all week after Israel closed the Temple Mount compound, holy to Muslims and Jews, and restricted access to Islamic worshippers.
A state department official in Washington, speaking ahead of Mr Mitchell’s arrival, said the US has “closely monitored developments around the al-Aqsa mosque in recent weeks, and continue to do so”.
“We urge all parties to refrain from actions that could inflame tensions or lead to violence,” the official said . “Our continued priority is relaunching negotiations in an atmosphere conducive to their success.” Muslims accused extremist Jews of provoking tensions by planning to pray on the mount. They also accused the Israeli government, which is pushing ahead with plans for construction of new neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem, of attempting to Judaise the city.
Israeli police briefly detained the head of Israel’s Islamic movement’s northern branch, Sheikh Ra’ad Salah, after he urged Muslims to “defend al-Aqsa mosque with their bodies”. Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since Binyamin Netanyahu took over as Israeli prime minister in March.
The Palestinians have linked a resumption of peace talks to an Israeli commitment to freeze building at West Bank settlements and in east Jerusalem.
Mr Netanyahu has expressed a willingness for a limited moratorium of nine months as long as construction already under way is allowed to continue.
President Barack Obama, who met together with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders last month, failed to bridge the gaps sufficiently to allow a resumption of bilateral talks.
The US envoy’s task of achieving a breakthrough during this week’s discussions may have been made more difficult due to the fact that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has come under intense criticism over recent days , including from elements within his own Fatah movement, over the Palestinian agreement to delay a vote at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week on the Goldstone report into Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The report by the UN panel headed by retired South African justice Richard Goldstone accused both Israel and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes and urged the UN Security Council to refer allegations to the International Criminal Court if either side failed to investigate and prosecute suspects.
Mr Netanyahu warned that any move by the Palestinian leadership to prosecute Israeli officials would have a “devastating” impact on peace efforts.
Under intense Israeli and US pressure, the Palestinians agreed to a six-month delay at last week’s Geneva gathering.
In response to scathing internal criticism Mr Abbas ordered an inquiry, but calls grew for his resignation, with Hamas protesters calling him a traitor.
Hamas officials said the issue could damage reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas aimed at ending the bitter feud between the factions.
Yesterday, for the first time, a senior Palestinian Authority official admitted that the Geneva decision had been a mistake. Presidential adviser Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian leadership had erred.