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WORLD NEWSSaturday 24 October 2015
Israel lifts Muslim age limit at Jerusalem shrine
M. DARAGHMEH
Associated Press
RAMALLAH, West Bank
(AP) — Muslim prayers at
a major Jerusalem shrine,
the epicenter of weeks of
unrest, ended peacefully
Friday after Israel lifted re- weekend with Jordan’s
strictions on worshippers in
an apparent bid to ease
tensions.
Meanwhile, violence con-
tinued in the West Bank
where Palestinians threw a
firebomb at an Israeli car,
wounding a mother and
her two children. An Israeli
news site said one of the
children, a 4-year-old girl,
was badly burned.
The decision to allow Mus-
lims of all ages to pray at
the site coincided with a
diplomatic push by U.S.
Secretary of State John
Kerry to restore calm. This
includes getting all sides to
agree on the ground rules
at the Muslim-run shrine
and prevent future ten-
sions.
Kerry is meeting over the
King Abdullah II, custodian
of the holy site, and Pales-
tinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, after holding talks
Thursday with Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanya-
hu. In New York, U.N. Secre-
tary-General Ban Ki-moon,
who just returned from talks
with Israeli and Palestinian
leaders, said that “despite
the anger and the polariza-
tion, there is still time to step
back from the brink.”
In Vienna, the Quartet of
Mideast mediators — the
U.S., U.N., European Union
FILE - Palestinians pray during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, hope in the viability of a
near the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque negotiated two-state solu-
compound in Jerusalem’s old city. The “status quo,” phrase has tion” between Israel and
emerged as one of the most confusing buzzwords in the cur- the Palestinians, ending
rent round of Israeli-Palestinian friction. It refers to decades-old “the occupation that be-
unwritten rules of behavior at a major Jerusalem shrine revered gan in 1967” and resolving
by both Muslims and Jews. Disagreement between Israelis and the status of Jerusalem.
Palestinians over what that entails has helped trigger the latest The current round of vio-
violence, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is now trying to lence erupted in mid-Sep-
work out a new rule book. tember, with clashes at the
Jerusalem shrine, revered
(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) by Muslims and Jews,
quickly spreading to the
rest of the city, as well as
the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
On Friday, Palestinians
threw a firebomb at a
passing Israeli car, wound-
ing a woman and her two
children in the West Bank,
the Israeli military said. The
Haaretz daily said a 4-year-
old girl sustained burns on
35 percent of her body
while her sister and mother
and Russia— issued a state- to the region soon. were lightly wounded.
ment calling on Israel and The Quartet statement was The attack came after a
the Palestinian leadership released after a meeting of Palestinian stabbed a sol-
to show “maximum restraint high-ranking members on dier in the West Bank and
and avoidance of provoc- the sidelines of Syria talks. was shot by troops, the mili-
ative rhetoric and actions.” It said calm is needed to tary said.q
Quartet envoys will travel “restore confidence and
Dozens killed in battle for Yemeni city of Taiz
AHMED AL-HAJ other militants. The U.N. fruit and vegetables, the
Associated Press says at least 2,577 civilians
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — were killed since the Saudi- U.N. said, adding that the
Heavy fighting between led air campaign began
Yemeni pro-government in March, while 5,078 have price of water has soared
forces and Shiite Houthi been injured.
rebels besieging the west- The U.N. Office of the High by 300 percent in the past
ern city of Taiz has killed 76 Commissioner for Human
people since Wednesday, Rights said in a Friday state- week. The health system in
Yemeni security officials ment that checkpoints run
said Friday. by fighters affiliated with Taiz is at “near collapse”
Of those killed, 11 were ci- the Houthis are exacerbat-
vilians and the rest were ing “the rapidly deteriorat- and small private hospitals
fighters from both sides. ing humanitarian situation”
Another 100 people have in Taiz. They are limiting the “have been overwhelmed
been wounded in fighting movement of civilians and
in the city, where a Saudi- blocking supply routes from with casualties by the fight-
led coalition is carrying out the capital Sanaa, the port
airstrikes against the rebels. city of Aden and other ing,” the U.N. said.
Yemen’s fighting pits the parts of Yemen, the U.N.
Houthis and allied army said. Also Friday, coalition air-
units against forces loyal to Civilians and traders are
the internationally recog- being stopped from trans- strikes hit a Houthi-held
nized government as well porting essential goods
as southern separatists and into Taiz, including water, security administration
building in the central Ibb
province, killing at least
seven rebels and destroy-
ing weapon supplies, se-
curity officials there said. In
Bayda province, six Houthis
were killed in an airstrike by
the Saudi-led coalition that
hit a rebel camp, accord-
ing to security officials and
witnesses who declined to
be named.q