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RAMALLAH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official warned on Monday that the ongoing Israeli escalation of violence against the Palestinians would urge their leadership to make crucial decisions.
Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that storming al-Aqsa Mosque, killing our people and expanding settlements "would urge the Palestinian leadership to take important and crucial decisions."
"The endless and ongoing Israeli attempts to undermine the efforts of keeping the area stable or reviving the stalled peace process will lead to serious consequences," said Abu Rdineh.
On Sunday, clashes broke out between Israeli police forces and Palestinian worshippers in the court of al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of Jerusalem, where Israeli police officers fired tear gas and broke into the court of the mosque.
The clashes broke out after Palestinian worshippers tried to prevent Israeli activists, including officials in the Israeli government, to enter the court of the mosque to mark the anniversary of the fall of the Jewish temple.
Over the past few days, three Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli troop's gunfire during separate incidents allover the West Bank, according to medical officials.
Last week, the Israeli government was preparing a tender for the construction of more than 800 housing units in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
On Sunday, a high-ranking Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli minister of interior Silvan Shalom met secretly in Jerusalem.
"The meeting between Shalom and Erekat was held in Jerusalem away from the mass media and in coordination with the Jordanians and the Americans to bridge the gaps between the two sides and pave the road for resuming peace," said the official.
Erekat demanded a total freeze of settlement and the release of prisoners who spent more than 20 years in Israeli prisons, mainly those were arrested before signing Oslo accords in 1993.
