LATER this month leaders of the Arab countries will hold their annual summit in Tripoli, Libya, to debate different regional issues, with priority being given to the Palestinian problem, especially in view of the recent provocative steps taken by the Jewish state to Judaise more cities in the West Bank. In addition to its constantly creating new Jewish settlements at the expense of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank in general and East Jerusalem in particular, the Netanyahu government has illegally annexed the Shrine of Al- Ibrahimi in the Palestinian city of Al-Khalil (Hebron), as well as Belal ben Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem, adding them to a list of Jewish heritage sites. In the meantime, the Israeli occupation forces have tightened their siege of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, barring access to Palestinians, in order to allow Jewish extremists to enter the complex, so that they can hold their special ceremonies marking the Jewish Feast of Purim. These repeated violations in the Muslim shrines in Jerusalem and other parts of the occupied West Bank show that Israel plans to change the Islamic identity of these Palestinian regions, ending any Arab claim to this land, which the far-rightist government insists on keeping under the Israeli occupation. Will the Arab leaders continue to turn a blind eye to this and keep their peace initiative on the table? Or will they courageously withdraw the initiative, boycotting the Israeli government until it shows some respect for international law and the pacts signed between previous Israeli governments and the Palestinian Authority? No-one would blame the Arab countries for temporarily freezing diplomatic, economic and political accords with Israel, until the Netanyahu government bows to international will and agrees to resume peace talks on the basis of the two-state solution and the land for peace principle. Most importantly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should cancel all kinds of measures being taken against the Muslim sites, especially Al-Aqsa, Islam's third holiest place. Palestinian officials recently revealed an Israeli plan to start building the Temple Mount in the courtyard of the mosque, as a prelude to demolishing the latter and replacing it with a Jewish temple.
