Fatah leverages Temple Mount crisis to confront Israel
Israel is concerned over Fatah officials' call for continued mass protests stemming from recent events at the Temple Mount.
“Israeli security agencies have prepared a package of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority [PA] if it turns out that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the heads of his Fatah movement are pushing the Palestinians into a clash with Israel in the West Bank,” an Israeli defense source has told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
Israel is closely monitoring preparations by the Tanzim, Fatah's armed wing, for Muslim Friday prayers on July 28. Although Israel has removed the contentious metal detectors from the entrance to Jerusalem’s Haram al-Sharif compound, it appears that Abbas and the other leaders in his movement are not interested in restoring calm and are instead openly calling for an escalation.
