PNA condemns Israeli closure of Jerusalem schools

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Saturday condemned the Israeli closure of two schools in East Jerusalem as well as the closure of al-Aqsa Mosque gates in the old city.

Taysir Tamimi, the Palestinian chief of justice, said in a press statement sent to Xinhua that "the Israeli actions of closing two schools as well as the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque aim at seizing control of the whole area of the old city."

He said that the Israeli authorities in the old city of Jerusalem shut down on Saturday two secondary schools surrounding al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city, and closed the gates that lead to the mosque.

Earlier on Saturday, Palestinian witnesses in the old city said that several Palestinians were injured during clashes with Israeli police near Damascus gate and al-Musrara market in the old city of Jerusalem.

The witnesses said that Palestinian youths threw stones at Israeli police forces, who fired tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at the stone-throwers to disperse them.

Following the clashes, the Israeli police backed by border police forces closed the gates that lead to al-Aqsa Mosque and prevented worshipers who are less than 50 years old from entering.

Meanwhile, Tamimi warned that some radical Jewish groups are planning to break into the yard of al-Aqsa Mosque within the coming few days to inaugurate a Jewish temple that is several meters far from the mosque.

He held the Israeli government responsible for what he termed as "the consequences of the new Israeli decisions and the crimes of the ethnic cleaning that are carried out against the residents of the city."

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6918885.html.