Jerusalem - Claims that Israel was digging, or intending to dig, under the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem were an "outright lie" disseminated by an "extremist minority," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday. "Last week, extremist elements tried to undermine quiet and peaceful life in Jerusalem," he told ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, reacting to over a week of tension and disturbances centering around the flashpoint compound.
"I appreciate the fact that the decisive majority of Israeli Arabs were not dragged after these provocations and did not allow the extremists to exploit the lies," the premier added.
The compound, in Jerusalem's Old City, is holy to both Muslims and Jews and the scene of continuing tensions.
The site is the third holiest in Islam, because according to tradition it marks the spot from where the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven. But it is also the most sacred in Judaism, as it contains the ruins of the Biblical Jewish Temple.
The most recent rioting over the compound began on September 27, when rumours spread on the eve of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday that Jews were trying to take over the compound, after a group of French tourists made an pre-arranged, organized tour of the site under Israeli police escort.
During the tensions, Israeli authorities allowed only Muslim males over 50 and women of all ages who were residents of East Jerusalem into the compound in order to prevent the outbreak of riots.
On Sunday Israel reopened the compound to all Muslim worshippers and other visitors. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the situation had returned to the calm that prevailed before tensions over the compound erupted two weeks ago.
