Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of inciting a "religious war" after fresh violence broke out in the West Bank between the two sides, amid concerns that the longstanding conflict is entering "a new and dangerous" phase.
Abbas blamed the recent incidents of violence on a series of visits by Jewish worshippers to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site while speaking at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, reported News24.
The statement came as Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian demonstrator during clashes in the West Bank on Tuesday.
Much of the recent unrest has originated from the tensions surrounding the holy site in Jerusalem's Old City, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.
It houses the Al Aqsa Mosque and the gold-topped Dome of the Rock, the third-holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is also considered the most sacred place in Judaism.
Warning Israel against dividing the Al Aqsa Mosque, Abbas remarked that by dividing the mosques, they are leading people to a "religious war." He said that Jerusalem is their capital and there will be no "concessions.