The Palestinian Authority (PA) government met on Tuesday and blamed Israel for paving the road to a "religious war," while calling on the "Palestinian public" to block Jews from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
The statement summarizing the meeting in Ramallah called on Arab residents under the PA to defend their holy sites by coming to Al-Aqsa Mosque and opposing Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.
In particular, the statement called on Arab visitors to Al-Aqsa to block "the attacks of the radicals and to prevent (MK Moshe) Feiglin and his aides from continuing to defile the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Feiglin on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to investigate the recent string of riots by Muslim visitors to the Temple Mount since last week, and to fire Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich for his management of the site.
1949 Armistice lines as borders, Gaza linked with PA
At the meeting it was decided that the 1949 Armistice lines would be considered the basis for borders between a PA-run state and Israel, and the key to success in the various topics of the peace talks.
The PA further blamed Israel for evading its responsibilities and denying its agreements in order to solidify "the occupation of Palestinian land." It accused Israel of trying "to Judaize the eternal capital of Palestine," meaning Jerusalem, "through illegal means."
According to the statement, a future "Palestinian state" would express geographical and political unity between Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, which is currently controlled by Hamas. The call for geographical unity seems to call into question the 1949 lines as a basis for borders.
The PA added that it would not agree to any arrangement that did not include Gaza as being part of the Palestinian national movement's territory. It further stressed the great importance the PA attaches to conciliation with Hamas while fulfilling obligations to the "martyrs (deceased terrorists)," as well as the "heroic prisoners."
The statement comes the same day that Fatah and Hamas relaunched unity talks.