Right-wing Jewish rabbi shot in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM 

A right-wing Jewish rabbi was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting late Wednesday after being shot in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Yehuda Glick was shot at a close range outside the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported.

According to Israeli media, the attacker is thought to be a Palestinian.

Glick is notorious for leading groups of Jews to force their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

In recent months, groups of extremist Jewish settlers – often accompanied by Israeli security forces – have repeatedly forced their way into East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.

In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada" – a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.

By Alaa Rimawi

www.aa.com.tr/en