Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday held Israel responsible for the current escalation of violence in east Jerusalem after Israel closed al- Aqsa Mosque in the old city, an official said, Xinhua reported.
The Palestinian state-run news agency "Wafa" quoted Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to President Abbas, as saying in an official press statement that Jerusalem and the Islamic and Christian in the city "are red lines can never be touched."
"The Israeli decision to shut down al-Aqsa Mosque before Palestinian worshipers for the first time ever is a challenge and a serious violation that will lead to more tension and instability and create a negative atmosphere," he said.
Abu Rdineh added that "the state of Palestine will take all legal measures against Israel to stop these assaults and attacks. He called on the international community to take all needed measures "to stop this Israeli aggression."
"Keeping this aggression going on is a declaration of war on the Palestinian people, the Arabs and Muslims and their holy sites, " said Abu Rdineh.
Clashes broke out in east Jerusalem and in the old city after a special Israeli police force killed at predawn on Thursday a former Palestinian prisoner in al-Thawri neighborhood in east Jerusalem, according to eyewitnesses.