RAMALLAH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Monday called on the international community to stop Israel from attacking Palestinians.
An official statement said that Ishtaye made the remarks during the weekly meeting of the Palestinian Authority cabinet held in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"The Israeli escalation against the Palestinians, which included killing, torturing, arresting, and allowing settlers to commit crimes, poses great risks to security and stability in the region," Ishtaye said.
He called on the international community "to stop the attacks and end the Israeli extremists' violation of Al-Aqsa Mosque's sanctity, especially in light of their preparations to storm the mosque during the Muslim month of Ramadan."
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, the latter of whom call it the Temple Mount.
"Israel allows settlers to carry weapons and kill Palestinians just because they are suspects," he told the cabinet, holding Israel "fully responsible for the serious consequences resulting from this escalation,"
On Saturday, three members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were killed by Israeli soldiers near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
According to Israeli media outlets, the Israeli security apparatuses said that the three Palestinians were armed and were planning to launch hostile armed attacks against Israeli targets in the West Bank.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been flaring over the past few days. ■
