The recent violence near the Damascus Gate in east Jerusalem reflects the fact that promises made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the US and Jordan spare to effort to avoid a security escalation are worthless. In reality, his people on the ground are making statements that only fan the flames.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In talks in recent weeks between senior Palestinian, Jordanian, and American officials regarding the growing concern of violent riots, PA officials have pledged to prevent escalation during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, especially in Jerusalem. But the clashes near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem show that the PA is, in fact, doing the exact opposite.
Israel, for its part, sought to diffuse tensions and refrained from placing barriers in the flashpoint gate. President Isaac Herzog visited Jordan, as did Public Security Minister Omer Barlev. Even Jordan's King Abdullah joined the mission and flew to Ramallah to meet Abbas. The monarch wants peace and especially to maintain the Hashemite Kingdom's special status on the Temple Mount.
For a moment, things seemed to be under control.
Ahead of Ramadan, however, senior PA officials made belligerent statements that fanned the flames of violence. Amhad Rawidi, Abbas' advisor on all matters Jerusalem, warned Monday that "the occupation and the settlers intend to carry out massacres" on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and against the Arab residents of Jerusalem.
This statement was prominently featured in Palestinian mainstream and social media and sent a message to the Palestinian public that it must rise and defend Jerusalem and Islam's holy sites in the city.
Similar remarks were also made by Fatah members and Palestinian religious leaders, and culminated on Sunday afternoon, just hours before riots broke out near the Damascus Gate when a statement by the PA's Foreign Ministry accused Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of "storming" the gate, something that immediately prompted Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip and Fatah's rival, to warn that Israel "will pay" for it.
Abbas may have told the Israelis and Jordanians that he was not interested in escalation, but he failed to tell his own people to hold their tongue. The Palestinian leader wants to bring Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue back to the top of the international agenda, and in this respect images of clashes in Jerusalem against the backdrop of the Old City walls serve his interests.
Top Abbas adviser Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Monday that "the absence of a diplomatic horizon, alongside the ongoing Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people and the holy sites and settler invasions, will lead to an explosion not only in Palestine but throughout the region."
So in essence, instead of defusing the volatile atmosphere, the PA chose to blame Israel for it.
Those who spoke with Abbas and other PA officials apparently failed to insist that they tone down their rhetoric during these volatile weeks. Even has Israel demanded as much he would not have done so simply because he cannot afford to do it – his public's opinion is all that matters.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
