By Gideon Alon, Yoav Stern and Jonathan Lis
Haaretz Sun., February 11, 2007
Police chief Moshe Karadi yesterday ordered a probe into Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Ra'ad Salah on suspicions of incitement and sedition. This comes due to his recent comments against Israeli rule, security forces and the police, due to excavations under the Mugrabi bridge that began last week.
An overwhelming cabinet majority yesterday approved continuing the construction at the Mugrabi ascent "in the proposed format and as speedily as possible." Only Labor ministers Amir Peretz, Yuli Tamir and Ghaleb Majadele abstained from the vote.
Dozens of Islamic Movement supporters were removed yesterday from the Mugrabi ascent, where they had congregated in the early morning hours. Several prominent members of the Islamic Movement's operative arm, the al-Aqsa Institution, were arrested. A Jerusalem court ordered three members to stay away from the capital for a week. Five members were detained for questioning after arriving to protest outside the Old City's Dung Gate without a permit. Police quickly dispersed the demonstration.
The movement vowed to continue its protest in the coming days. A spokesman for the movement said, "The Israeli government bears responsibility for any violence or bloodshed that occurs here. With this activity, Olmert hopes to cover the affairs in which he is involved."
Jerusalem police continued to be on high alert yesterday. However, protests waned, apparently as demonstrators returned to work, and there was almost no disorderly conduct in the capital yesterday.
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter toured the renovation site near the Western Wall yesterday. Dichter supported the decision to continue the excavation and reconstruction on the site and said that many of the Muslims protesting the works are not aware that the Mugrabi Gate is outside the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, "We will not allow Khaled Meshal and Ra'ad Salah to dictate to us what to do 20 meters from the Western Wall. Tomorrow they will be telling us what to do at the Jaffa Gate, and then they will dictate what to do in the Mamilla neighborhood. This is our land and our sovereignty. They cannot be allowed to tell us what to do in the Western Wall Plaza."
Olmert added that it is important to strengthen moderates among Israeli Arabs, but said Salah operates according to different standards. If his vision were to come true, Israel would not exist as a Jewish and democratic state, Olmert said. The works are begin carried out in Israeli territory outside the Temple Mount and were coordinated in advance with the relevant parties, including the Palestinian Waqf, and the Jordanian and Egyptian governments, he said.
Dichter revealed that in contradiction to claims by Peretz that he hadn't been informed of the construction work, Peretz had been briefed on the details of the plans. Dichter cited a February 1 meeting in the Defense Minister's Office, during which they reviewed the state of things prior to the excavation. A police officer presented Peretz the planned start date for the work and police projections of likely scenarios.
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman sharply criticized Peretz. "You are acting irresponsibly. You are not acting like the defense minister in Israel's cabinet, but like a candidate in the primaries. This matter must be removed from politics - stop mumbling and babbling and start working."
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said the Islamic Movement was leading provocative measures that must be curbed immediately. He said law enforcement must resolve the problem. He also called on Olmert and Peretz to renew their dialogue. "The lack of communication between you provides a tailwind to Israel's detractors," Mofaz said.
Absorption Minister Zeev Boim asked Peretz, "I don't understand why you didn't issue a warning. If you thought the works at the Mugrabi Gate constitute an existential threat to Israel, how is it possible that you sufficed with sending Amos Gilad's letter to the Prime Minister's Bureau?"
Olmert himself also expressed wonder at how Peretz only sent him a fax. "I did receive a fax from Amir, but he could have called me and told me his position," Olmert commented.
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