JERUSALEM: Two Israeli lawmakers have visited a flashpoint Jerusalem shrine after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly lifted a ban on Israeli parliamentarians entering the site.
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel and Likud party member Sharren Haskel visited the hilltop compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, on Sunday.
The compound is considered the holiest site for Jews, the site of the two biblical Temples, and today is home to Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. It is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Netanyahu had instituted a ban on Israeli lawmakers visiting the site in November 2015 as a measure to ease tensions with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s office had no comment about the lawmakers’ visits.
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Israeli lawmakers visit contested Jerusalem holy site
Israeli lawmakers visit contested Jerusalem holy site
- Netanyahu had instituted a ban on Israeli lawmakers visiting the site in November 2015 as a measure to ease tensions with the Palestinians.
US withdrawing all forces from Syria, WSJ reports
- Report follows US militar withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria and handing it over to Syrian forces
The United States is in the process of withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing three US officials.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Last week, the US military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening US-Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown.
The Journal said that troops will withdraw from the remaining US locations in Syria over the next two months.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Last week, the US military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening US-Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown.
The Journal said that troops will withdraw from the remaining US locations in Syria over the next two months.
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