Jerusalem was quiet but tense today in the aftermath of Thursday’s fire that severely damaged the 1,400 year-old El Aksa mosque, the third holiest shrine of devout Moslems. Friday’s announcement that a 27-year-old Australian was being held on suspicion of arson mollified the Moslem Religious Council to a degree. But passions still ran high among Arabs in East Jerusalem and the occupied territories. There was no lessening of incitement by Arab guerrilla spokesmen and broadcasts from the various Arab capitals which blamed Israel for the blaze and exhorted 500 million Moslems around the world to launch a holy war against Israel.
The Moslem Council expressed satisfaction over the arrest of Michael Denis Rohen, a member of the Church of God, a fundamentalist Protestant sect, a little more than 24 hours after the fire. Israeli police stressed that the tall, blond Australian was apprehended as a result of a description given them by a Moslem gate-keeper at the mosque. But the Moslem religious leaders did not call off the Arab general strike yesterday. It brought activities to a virtual halt in the Arab quarters of Jerusalem, in the Gaza Strip and the larger towns of the West Bank. But the day passed without incident except for anti-Israel demonstrations in Nablus which had to be quelled by Israeli troops.
Rohen was remanded by a Jerusalem Magistrate for 15 days. He will be brought to trial before a district court panel of judges. The trial will be held in one of the largest halls available in order to admit as many members of the public as possible, it was learned today. Israeli police said Friday that they had enough evidence against the suspect to assure a conviction. One report said today that Rohen had confessed though his motives remain unknown.
The arrest of a suspect came none too soon. An ugly mood had been developing among East Jerusalem Arabs since the fire. On Friday, the Moslem sabbath, some 2,000 Arabs shouting anti-Israel slogans descended on the mosque area several hours before Rohen’s arrest was announced. Israeli troops dispersed them with shots fired into the air. But some of the soldiers were pelted with stones. Re-enforced patrols guarded the Old City as a Curfew was lifted on the Temple Mount area to permit Moslems to go to prayer. But the tension did not interfere with the flow of tourists into the Old City. About 10,000 poured through the various gates on Friday and Saturday to visit religious shrines and other sights.
INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE WILL BEGIN OPEN HEARINGS IN JERUSALEM TODAY
Judge Abraham Granott, president of Israel’s Supreme Court, announced the composition of a special committee to investigate the causes of the mosque fire. Its chairman is Dr. Joel Silberg, a justice of the Supreme Court, and it includes two Arabs, Judge Mouhamed Nimri el Hiwari. of the Nazareth District Court and Mayor Moussa Kthilli, of Nazareth. It was still unclear however whether Moslem religious authorities in Jerusalem would cooperate with the committee.
The committee will hold its first meeting tomorrow morning. Its sessions will be open to the public. Foreign Minister Abba Eban said today that anyone interested could attend the hearing and that the invitation applied to persons from any country. He said that Israel would also invite experts and engineers from any country who could expedite repairs to the Moslem shrine. He said experts from the Arab countries would be admitted if the Moslem Religious Council in Jerusalem requested it.
GOVERNMENT DENOUNCES ARAB CAMPAIGN TO BLAME ISRAEL
The Israeli Government issued an official statement expressing its revulsion at the efforts now being made in official quarters in certain Arab states to falsely attribute to Israel culpability for causing the fire. This vicious libel, which is designed to exploit the fire for purposes of political and religious incitement, merits the unqualified condemnation of all enlightened mankind, the statement said.
Mr. Eban denounced the Arab states which have accused Israeli authorities of burning the mosque and were demanding a holy war against Israel. He called the Arab charges “seditious libel” and said the Arab leaders were trying to arouse religious hatred for political ends. Mr. Eban reported at today’s cabinet meeting on the political reaction to the mosque fire. He noted that whereas the Arab states have used the incident to arouse religious hatred against Israel, two non-Arab Moslem states, Turkey and Iran, refused to join in the accusations although they expressed sorrow over the fire.
Israeli authorities will place extra guards around holy places in Jerusalem as a result of the El Aksa mosque fire, it was learned today. Special attention will be given to Christian holy places where retaliation from Arab extremists is feared. Plans have been proposed to install fire alarm systems in mosques and churches.
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