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Egypt minister attacked at mosque

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  • Egypt minister attacked at mosque

    Egypt minister attacked at mosque

    Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher was taken to hospital after an incident at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque.

    Mr Maher became unwell after being jostled by angry Muslims as he came to pray at the holy site on Monday.

    Bodyguards surrounded the minister and whisked him out of the compound to an Israeli hospital.

    Mr Maher was in Israel for talks with Israeli leaders about resuming peace talks with the Palestinians, his first visit to the country for two years.

    Correspondents say his assailants are likely to have been angered by the talks between the minister of an Arab Muslim nation and Israel, which they regard as an illegitimate state on Arab land.

    'Embarrassment'

    Egyptian state television said that Ahmed Maher has now left Israel to return to Cairo.

    He has been seen smiling and back on his feet.

    But the BBC's Jill McGivering, in Jerusalem, says the incident is sure to cause some embarrassment for the Israelis.

    Palestinians apparently tried to pelt the minister with shoes both inside and outside the mosque - and Mr Maher subsequently complained of being short of breath.

    Mr Maher had declined Israeli protection before he ascended the compound and was guarded by Palestinian officials and his own Egyptian bodyguards.

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he "deeply regrets" the attack.

    Witnesses told the AP news agency that the minister was heard saying, "I'm going to choke, I'm going to choke" as he was being taken away from the mosque.

    A spokeswoman for Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem confirmed that the minister was conscious when he was transferred to the hospital for treatment.

    Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority "firmly condemned" the attack, Palestinian Negotiations Minister Saeb Erekat told AFP.

    Peace talks

    Mr Maher's visit to the mosque came after he had held a series of meetings with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

    Egypt has been stepping up attempts in recent weeks to help break the deadlock between the Israelis and Palestinians.

    On Monday, two Israelis were reported to have been killed in an attack in Gaza.

    Earlier, Israeli incursions into the West Bank allegedly wounded several people.

    Speaking after the talks, Mr Maher said he had a commitment from Israel to resume negotiations as soon as possible and he emphasised what he said was Israel's desire to co-operate.

    The al-Aqsa Mosque is at the Temple Mount site - known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif - and is the third most holy site in Islam.

    On 20 July 1951, while visiting the al-Aqsa Mosque, King Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated by a Palestinian gunman.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3341435.stm
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    The Palestinians always seem to act in such a way as to create less and less sympathy for their cause.

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    • #3
      There they go steppin on their own dicks again.
      "Now we shall have ourselves a pell mell battle!" ......The Immortal Memory, Admiral Nelson

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      • #4
        Yet another traitor against the Palestinians.

        Wonder if even for a second, if they think it's the way they act that makes so many turn on them?

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