JERUSALEM, April 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli President Moshe Katsav warned Tuesday that an attack on the Temple Mount by Jewish extremists would do irreversible harm to Israel, appealing to all Israelis to desist from extreme measures that could have dire consequences.

    Destroying holy places of Islam or of any faith runs counter to Jewish religious values and is immoral and inhuman, the president said at a meeting with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

    Several Jewish right-wing organizations have announced they planned to storm the Temple Mount on April 10 in protest against the disengagement plan, a process starting from July 20.

    This announcement drew stern Palestinian response. Palestinian militants vowed to retaliate harshly if any attack against the al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine, was staged.

    The Temple Mount, about the size of 15 football stadiums, is the site of Judaism's first and second temples.

    It is also regarded as Muslim confines because of Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque built on it.

    The Temple Mount was opened to the public till September 2000 when the Palestinians started the intifada (uprising).  

    It was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003.

    Last month, Israel police banned mass Jewish pilgrimages to the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem on the eve of the Hebrew calendar month of Nissan.

    Local press reported Israeli police have stepped up presence around the Temple Mount to ward off any possible violent scenarios.

   Katsav is scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday with Shin Bet(Israel Security Agency) head Avi Dichter to discuss security issues in this respect. Enditem