Closure of al-Aqsa mosque 'a declaration of war'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman has described the latest closure of al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli authorities in occupied Jerusalem as "a declaration of war".

The warning on Thursday comes amid rising tensions in the city.

Clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces have escalated over what the Palestinians regard as a deliberately provocative Israeli policy of encroaching on the compound housing the al-Aqsa mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam.

The area is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

"This dangerous Israeli escalation is a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and its sacred places and on the Arab and Islamic nation," said Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for the Palestinian leader.

"We hold the Israeli government responsible for this dangerous escalation in Jerusalem that has reached its peak with the closure of the al-Aqsa mosque this morning."

Israeli officials say that this was a temporary closure, and that they normally allow free access to the site - something strongly rejected by Palestinians who insist the Israeli state has been unilaterally and deliberately restricting access to Muslims, while increasing it to Jewish worshippers. The area is also understood to be the site of two ancient and sacred Jewish temples, the most recent of which was destroyed during the Roman era.

"This decision is a dangerous act and a blatant challenge that will lead to more tension and instability and will create negative and dangerous atmosphere," added Abu Rudeina.

Israel ordered the holy site closed to all visitors, both Jewish and Muslim, early on Thursday for the first time since September 2000, shortly before the beginning of the second intifada.

The Israeli government said the move was a response to the shooting of Yehuda Glick, an ultranationalist Jewish activist, on Wednesday evening.

Tensions in the city have been rising since the murder of teenager Mouhammad Abu Khdeir in July, with clashes erupting on a daily basis.

In an earlier announcement on Thursday, the Palestinian president hailed Sweden's decision to officially recognise the state of Palestine, while a top Israeli diplomat denounced the move as "deplorable".

"Sweden must understand that relations in the Middle East are much more complicated than self-assembly furniture at Ikea," said Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.