More Israeli police at Temple Mount

Press, 23 January 1988, Page 7

More Israeli police at Temple Mount

NZPA-Reuter Jerusalem Israeli police will be reinforced at Temple Mount in Jerusalem today during Muslim prayers in the Al-Aqsa mosque, the scene of ciashes with Palestinians a week ago, police sources reported. They said Police Minister, Haim Bar-Lev, would be there to supervise his men’s response to any riot. Last week the police fired teargas and batoncharged demonstrators pouring out of the mosque after prayers. At least 70 Muslims were treated for injuries and one policeman was severely beaten by the crowd. The police have repeatedly denied allegations that they used teargas inside the mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, during the clashes which aroused worldwide condemnation of Israeli tac-

tics. A senior Army officer said troops would also be reinforced throughout the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip to face possible riots after prayers today — and on Saturday while Israeli Arabs stage a solidarity demonstration in Nazareth. The officer said troops would not wait for worshippers at mosque exits but would act “immediately and forcefully” if they saw a crowd gathering and then failing to disperse. Leaflets circulated in Arab East Jerusalem and Ramallah proclaimed yesterday as Palestinian Martyr Day for the second time in six weeks of unrest during which at least 39 Palestinians have been shot dead and over 400 wounded. The senior officer said Israel’s new policy of

beating up Palestinian demonstrators rather than opening fire at them had proved effective. An unidentified captain said on television: “You chase anybody you have to and beat him up and altogether it works pretty well.” At the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, i 22 residents were treated at a United Nations health centre after being manhandled by troops enforcing a curfew on Thursday. Eight needed hospital treatment for fractures and head wounds. The United States expressed concern at the new policy of beatings to crush the unrest, but the only comment from the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ehud Gol, was: “We are concerned as well over the situation.”