Mahmoud Abbas responded to the security closure of the Temple Mount, stating that harming the places sacred to Muslims and Christians is a red line, that he would not permit this line to be crossed, and that the closure was a declaration of war. His call to Palestinians to protect the Temple Mount from visits by Jews by any means has been widely viewed in Israel as incitement to violence. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu characterized Abbas' call as part of a wave of incitement by radical Islamic elements and by Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas).